


Iridescence

by Venapraeys



Category: jikook - Fandom, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe, Genderfluid Character, Inspired by Game of Thrones, Inspired by Sword Art Online, M/M, My First Fanfic, NSFW, Other, Pronouns, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-11-26
Packaged: 2020-06-29 11:35:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 33,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19829347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Venapraeys/pseuds/Venapraeys
Summary: A new virtual reality game has just been released to the general public. Park Jimin, a high school student, has taken an interest in this new game. The game inhabits a fantasy genre with spells, player classes, and mystical creatures. Jimin’s experience is seemingly normal until a modern philosopher appears and reveals a horrifying fact about the game. Explore the world of “Dichotomy: Revelations” as Jimin and others navigate a dangerous virtual world.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Please read the summary. It covers many important topics related to this story. Most important note: The members are more like “templates” and namesakes for the story. I did this to make my feelings of conflict towards using real people lessened. This is probably still just as bad, but I debated for a very long time if I even wanted to use their names. Expect the members to be more different than perceived. Jimin is the biggest change from what is assumed by the general public/fan base. If you do not like these changes you are free to not continue reading. Finally, I am not insinuating that these relationships are true to real life, nor am i advocating or assuming their sexuality. This may seem hypocritical, but I do not avidly “ship” them. This is why I stated that they are more used as names than a reflection of the real life individual.

Chapter 1: Pray You Catch Me 

Jimin woke up to the sound of a loud thump next to his bedside table. Glancing over he releases a sigh of relief after realizing it’s only his cat, Bastet. “You scared me,” he exclaims with an exasperated tone. “Come here,” he says softly, as Bastet hops next to him on the rose gold sheets. As he snuggles up to her he reflects over the fact that he hasn’t been sleeping well the last couple of nights. Being a senior in high school wasn’t as glamorous as he saw in classic movies and definitely wasn’t any less stressful. Knowing he needs sleep is the only thing that allows an exhausted Jimin to fall reluctantly back to sleep. 

Morning comes too fast and the rays of morning sunlight reflect off of the foggy windows. His sleep wasn’t the best, but he felt slightly better than he did last night. He wakes up and proceeds to put on his light blue sweater and black jeans. After brushing his teeth, washing his face, and parting his hair in the middle he decided to head downstairs. “Good morning,” Taehyung, his younger brother, states in a cheerful tone. “Good morning,” Jimin replies in a neutral tone trying and failing to mask his distaste for mornings. He was not a morning person in the slightest and never will be, he thinks. “The new Virtual Reality Game Dichotomy: Revelation is coming out today after school! I’m so excited! Are you gonna play?” His brother asks in a childlike excitement. “Yeah it seems really interesting. What is it about anyways? I think I’ve seen trailers, but I haven’t dug too deep into it,” Jimin replies. Taehyung is excited to explain and doesn’t take any time to wait. “Oh it’s apparently a combination of medieval history and magic. The graphics look insane and the concept is that you progress with other players to reach floor 100.” Taehyung states. Jimin hates to cut his brother off, but they’re going to miss the bus at this rate. He really hates being late. “That sounds fun, but let’s go we’re gonna miss the bus.” “Ok coming!” Taehyung says with milk spilling from the side of his mouth. “Be careful Tae... Tae hurry you’re so messy!” Jimin says after seeing the mess he created. He’ll definitely need to clean that up later. 

Jimin sits in the front of the bus alone while Taehyung makes his way to the back with some boys Jimin dislikes. Why does Tae surround himself with such irresponsible people? Tae has always been a social butterfly: something completely opposite of Jimin. Jimin hates the idea of “friends” and doesn’t consider anyone to mean that much to him. The bus hits a speed bump and that stops the negative thoughts from escalating. He closes his eyes for the remainder of the bus ride before they arrive. 

The bane of his existence, the lights on the bus to be specific, alert him that they have arrived at Chiron High School. He gets out first and walks towards the doors for a seat at the cafeteria waiting for first period to start. He sets down alone at one of the cafeteria tables. As he puts his headphones on, and hears the opening notes of an R&B song play, he puts his head down to think. His mind wanders back to the what he was thinking about on the bus. He knows he shouldn’t have this conversation with himself for the millionth time, but he couldn’t help it. Thinking about the notion of having friends brought up bitter memories. He knows people are selfish, evil beings that could care less for anyone else. He knows this because he’s experienced this pain in the past. It still hurts just as it did years ago. The pain of loneliness and never letting anyone know how he longs for genuine connections. He knows it makes him bitter but it’s almost graduation so what should it matter? He’ll never see these people again and won’t care about how lonely he’d been. The bell interrupts his thoughts for a second time that morning. He puts his phone in his black messenger bag and mentally prepares himself for the day. 

His first three periods fly by as they always do. A test in first period English gives him a slight headache, and by fourth period Trigonometry he’s already spent. The bell just rung for lunch but he decides to go to the College and Career center. It sounds intimidating but it’s really just a standard classroom run by two really nice women. Only one of them is present today though. Thankfully it’s his favorite staff member in the entire school. “Hello Jimin!” Mrs. Bode yells as soon as she sees him. “Hello Mrs. Bode. How are you doing?” Jimin replies in a sweeter tone he reserves only for adults and strangers. “The same old, same old. Thank you for asking!” Mrs. Bode was a pretty woman with very tight-coiled textured hair slicked back into a big bun. She had dark, golden brown skin and always wore fun modern clothes. She was very bubbly and was one of the reasons Jimin liked coming here. “You’re free to use the computers, but make sure you have time to eat as well,” she says in a slightly more serious tone. She really cared for her students and skipping lunch would not fly with her. “Yes mam,” he replies. He internally sighs as he sits down at one of the many computers. He was running out of options that excused him from eating lunch at the cafeteria. He hates the cramped lunch room and it didn’t help that he had no friends to sit with. It reminded him that he truly was as lonely as he felt. He pushes that thought away quickly and logged into the computer with his student information. He signs into a writing program and continues his college admission essay. He didn’t think he was as extraordinary at writing essays as his teachers and family said he was, but the constant A’s had to mean something right? He found it hard to praise himself. It’s something he’s been working on as long as he can remember. He doesn’t really know who he is either which would explain why this essay is the hardest he’s ever had to write. The prompt is: Reflect on the hardships in your past that have made you the person you are today, and how you could translate that into something impactful. Bringing up his past is something he never does and when it creeps into his thoughts he spirals back into depression. It’s really hard to navigate those feelings, so he’d rather keep them there or make himself resentful in the process. 

After the bell for lunch ends he gives himself a small inner pep talk and says goodbye to Mrs. Bode. The prompt stays in his head as he makes his way toward the very end of the school for his Cosmetology class. This is the one class that relaxes him and makes him feel at home. He’s been taking this class in order to get his cosmetology license. He has a passion for hair and makeup, but it also guarantees a job out of high school that he knows he’ll need. He’s the only “boy” in the class and he’s used to it, but he does notice the way other students look at him because of it. It’s either a very confused look, or whispers and snickers behind his back. He knows they’re just insecure teenagers, but he’d be lying if he said it never bothered him. He walks into the small room with all the lockers of each student’s equipment and goes to his locker, #0412. After getting his mannequin and supplies he sets up and waits for Ms. Miller to give instruction. 

After Ms. Miller arrived and gave instruction with her dramatic hand motions and long red nails, he felt the effects of not sleeping well. He dried his mannequins hair sloppily and kept burning himself with the curling iron. “You ok over there?” a playful voice asks behind him. “Burns from hot tools can leave a really bad mark,” the girl says. “Oh yes I’m fine. Thanks Ngozi.” “No problem but you better watch out cause burn marks ain’t no joke,” she says in a motherly like manner. Jimin chuckles and continues his work and she walks back to her station. He had acquaintances as he prefers to call them over “friends”. The term “friend” means something deeper to him and he’s only ever called one person that. That person would never have an impact on him again. The sound of a timer brings him out of his head again. He thinks about his class. He has a normal relationship with every girl in Cosmetology, but it was on a strict name by name basis. He wishes he could be closer to some of them, but he just doesn’t trust anyone that much anymore. Even with spending three hours of required class time for three years everyday he still doesn’t know them that well. Ms. Miller reminds everyone that it’s almost time to leave for the day, so Jimin goes to his locker and packs up. 

When he gets home he takes off his black shoes and sees Taehyung and two other boys on the couch with him. Before he could go upstairs to relax his brother sees him and Jimin panics. Jimin hates the type of friends that he hangs around. “Jiminie I bought the game through the online store and I’m about to play. Did you want to play on your own or with me and my friends?” He feels bad but he knows they can play together another time. “No thanks, but we can play later when your friends leave ok?” He made sure to give the friends in question a pointed look as he said it. “Sure thing have fun if you decide to make an account today,” Tae says with no disappoint laced in his voice. He turns back to his friends and Jimin walks upstairs to his room. 

His stepdad and mom should be home from work later on, but he shoots a text to his mom letting him know he’s home. He’s always been close to his mother and still texts her to make sure he’s home (by her request). He giggles to himself thinking about how close they were. Most teenagers would say they hated their parents at school and it was always upsetting to hear. He couldn’t imagine hating his mom or even being mad at her for more than 5 minutes. She did everything for her family and he loved and appreciated all of it. She’s the strongest woman and person in general that he knows. She’s his rock and honestly the only reason he lives each day. Without his mother he always said he would go with her if he had to. Life was meaningless without her and anytime he gets the slightest thought of something bad happening to her he bursted into tears. She went through so much for him and it makes him feel guilty every time he thinks about their past. He sits down at his computer after changing into sweatpants and an oversized hoody. The picture of florescent roses on his screensaver glow brightly as his computer boots up. He’s excited to play the new game and escape the draining thoughts he had all day. He goes to the website and starts the download. As he reaches for the Simulation Gear he pets Bastet who decided to lay under his wooden desk. He signs up and goes through the normal game setup process. The virtual reality is made possible by connecting to nerves that were thought of as impossible of accessing. Virtual reality gaming has come a long way but it’s still in its early phase of creation. He doubts it would have been possible to even get this close 10 years ago in 2020. He updates the drivers for his Simulation Gear and lays down on his light grey sheets. He places the Simulation Gear over his eyes and closes his eyes. “Pairing ready. Start.” 

Many colorful lights appear and he’s blinded by the bright white consuming his vision. “Hello. Welcome to Dichotomy: Revelation. Please enter a username.” An automated voice says. He’s stunned by the mesmerizing sight of a digital dimension. He snaps out of it and looks back at bold letters requesting a username. He isn’t really afraid of using his real name in games, so he enters Jimin. “Thank you. Please select your gender. You can edit your avatar anytime after your selection.” Jimin looked at the silhouettes. His gender was always something that he thought a lot about. He has always considered himself feminine, but didn’t mind “he/him” pronouns. He’s very much in the process of trying to figure out the complexity that surrounds identity. However, he chooses what calls to him. He selects the feminine silhouette and continues. “Please choose an element: Fire, Air, Earth, Water, Dark, or Light.” Water has always been something he’s been drawn too. It makes him feel calm and elegant. He hovers over Water. “Select a class: Warrior, Tank, Assault, or Support.” He’s never been an aggressive player in any other game. He likes the idea of helping others so he chooses the Support Class. “Finally, choose a sub-class: Mage, Assassin, Trapper, Tamer, or Scout.” Hm the last choice he thinks. He thinks about Bastet and immediately knows what he’ll choose. He clicks Tamer and the automated voice says its final statement. “Jimin: Supportive Water Class Tamer. Thank you for being patient. The grand world of Efertrine awaits you.” 

The world is consumed by another blinding light. He feels himself encapsulated by a slight warmth. When he opens his eyes he’s stunned by the world in front of him. Jimin is transported to a Plaza and sees many unique and interesting people. He sees many colors and outfits that intrigue him. This is the first time playing a virtual reality game and it’s amazing at how real it feels. He could feel the breeze and the warmth of the faux sun. He looks at his hands and sees that they are as small and feminine as his real hands. He sees a prompt for opening the menu for a player. He swipes down in the air and a small circular pad with many standard game options appears. He clicks the “map” icon and studies the area with keen interest. He sees a hairbrush symbol and zooms In by pinching his fingers together. It reads “Misty’s Boutique.” He sets a path marker to the boutique and walks casually towards the designated route. 

He arrives but before he enters he sees his hyper feminine body and stares for a moment. He feels strange but not in a bad way. It actually makes him feel a little more confident. He has always been afraid to play with his appearance in real life so this was a new feeling for him. He steps in cautiously and hears a faint jingle of the door chime as he walks in. “Hello there! Welcome to Misty’s Boutique!” A young looking woman jumps out behind a clothing rack and nearly makes Jimin faint with surprise. “S-Sorry If this is a bad time,” he says in a regretful tone. He was already weirdly nervous walking into a store for women. He’s never done this in real life. “No worries you’re no trouble at all! Have a look around!” She says in a bubbly tone. He wonders if she’s an NPC but she feels so... human. As soon as he walks past her to a clothing rack he sees a grey circular icon above her head. It says “player” underneath and that settles his interior conflict. 

He walks in front of a mirror and views his default outfit. It’s a simple brown short sleeve short with stains. His pants are frayed on the ends and he grimaces. He’s not into fashion all that much, but he definitely knew he wanted something better looking than this. He looks around for a while and picks up a few random items. He’s not used to women’s clothes so he’s struggling more than he’d like to admit. He glances at the owner, presumably Misty, and debates asking her for help. He is painfully shy and stutters way too often, so asking for help is out of his comfort zone. He decides against asking for help and continues looking. After an hour he settles on a decent outfit. Not too extravagant but definitely an upgrade. He switched to a dark long sleeve top that had medium sized diamond shape cut outs on the arms. The sleeves flayed out and were slightly more open at his hands. He paired it with a dark blue pant that felt like silk. The pants were loosely fit and bulged slightly on the bottom which stuck with the elastic on the bottom. He hoped the weather wouldn’t feel too much like real life because he really liked his outfit. It wasn’t much of an appropriate outfit for hot weather. He glances at himself in the mirror. He dressed so minimally in real life that it felt very satisfying to try something different. Even if it was in a virtual world. He looked in the mirror and was pleased, but wondered if he could change his hair. It was a chestnut brown shade that sat at shoulder length. It wasn’t displeasing but he wanted to try something he never would do normally. He turned around and saw Misty sweeping near the entrance. It was starting to get dark so he went to the checkout patiently waiting, not wanting to be rude. Misty smiles and comes around two minutes later. “Find everything alright?” She asks with a happy tone. “Oh yes everything was fine, thank you.” Jimin replies with a small smile. “Wow that outfit is very cute!” She states as she inputs the prices into the machine. He sees her eyeing him for a moment and he feels nervous. “How about I help you improve your outfit a little? On me? It’s the first day of launch and your my first customer! I’d love to do something nice for my first customer!” He feels a warm feeling from this nice woman. He would feel very rude declining but he also hated hand outs. “Are you sure? You don’t have to do that at all. I don’t mind paying, really.” He replies shyly. “It’s nothing! Don’t be shy I love giving gifts!” She gives him no time to reply before she pulls him into an aisle of accessories. 

Half an hour later he looks back in the mirror and feels a mix of emotions. He marvels at his right ear where a crescent moon earring hangs. It glows like a wet sapphire jewel. On his other ear is a small gold star earring. His hands contain many rings that sparkle with a high metallic sheen. Two rings are on his right hand each a simple band. On his left hand, on his ring finger, contains a full moon that is made of holographic pearl. Around his neck is a black choker with a golden egg charm with scale engravings hanging slightly from it. He feels powerful and beautiful. Something he hasn’t felt, ever. “You look so stunning, Jimin.” She says in a uncharacteristic calm tone. He feels his eyes water and stops himself before he gets too emotional. “Thank you so much Misty.” He says with a little more assurance to his voice. “It’s all yours! On the House! Don’t even think you can get away with paying me!” She says playfully. “I’m very grateful I don’t know how I could ever repay you for your kindness.” Jimin says with a waver to his voice. “Don’t worry about! You look great and hopefully you feel good. I love making my clients look good so they feel good and in turn do good.” Jimin almost cries from the sentiment but holds it in. It’s dark now so he decides it’s time to go. He says a final good bye and more “thank you’s” before heading out the shop. Misty offers for him to come tomorrow so that she can change his hairstyle and eye color. He agrees and pulls his hand down to open the menu. He logs out with a small smile on his face. 

He opens his eyes slowly and carefully removes the head gear. He drinks some water from his bedside table and checks his phone. He sees a missed text from his mom that dinner is ready. He also sees a missed call from his “real” dad. It provokes feelings of annoyance and hurt but he ignores it and decides to not return the call. He walks downstairs to see his stepdad and his mom in the kitchen finishing last minute dinner tasks and his brother laying on the couch with his head gear on. He goes to the kitchen and gives his mom a hug hello and says hi to Sagong. He still calls his stepdad by name. He’s been in his life ever since he was five when his mom left his real dad. Due to painful memories produced by his real dad the label father left a bad taste in his mouth. His stepdad, Sagong, was a nice man even though they barley spoke. That was fine to Jimin. The men in his family have always been disappointing or emotionally distant. His brother was the only boy in his family he was really close to. After saying hi Sagong gives him a hello back and they head to the table to eat. He taps Tae on his shoulder to get his attention to let him know dinner was ready. They all sit and have the standard “how was your day” conversation and it makes Jimin grateful to have the family he has. They finish dinner and all head to their room. “Goodnight ChimChim!” His mother yells from the hallway and Jimin yells an “I love you!” before he heads to the restroom. He undresses and lets the shower run steaming hot. He liked his showers to almost burn. They always relaxed him the most. He takes a pretty lengthy shower as he usually likes to do, and heads to his room to dry off after he finishes. He walks over to the mirror with his towel wrapped around his chest and stares at the mirror. He turns to the side and sees his naked body. He’s at a weight that he isn’t happy with. His hips were quite larger than the boys he saw at school. His butt was definitely bigger than a “normal” boys normally is. His more feminine body used to annoy him more than it did now. He didn’t hate looking feminine but it was something he was self conscious about especially in high school. He always felt people would look at him weird although no one ever said anything to his face. He hated attracting attention. He wasn’t intimidating per say, but he always walked around with a “don’t look at me or talk to me,” look that kept many people away. He liked it that way most times but knew it was one of the many reasons he didn’t have close relationships. The air conditioning cut on and the shiver it produced caused him to put some clothes on. He crawls into bed and falls asleep fairly quickly with Bastet cuddled next to him. 

School was normal and exhausting as usual. Taking four college level classes during his senior year was starting to take its toll. He has always been an honor roll student. He didn’t do anything special. He simply did what he was supposed to do. He didn’t care about getting good grades for himself. His mother always pushed him to be better and smarter than she was. She stressed education to both him and his brother. She had Jimin when she was 17 and had her brother when she was 18. Jimin from his real dad and Tae from his stepdad. Their family did well but she always knew she didn’t want her kids to go through any hardships she experienced. Jimin didn’t even know what he wanted to do or where he wanted to end up long term after school. He was so lost and that made him anxious about the future, but he did what he had to do and did it well. His brother wasn’t a slacker at school either which made him proud even if he didn’t tell him nearly as much as he should. He goes up to his room and settles down into his white furry chair. He stares at the missed call icon on his phone and internally sighs. It’s his dad. Again. Yesterday was already a rarity when it came to his dad calling him. He stares at his phone for a while before he decides to call his father. It rings for what seems like forever before he hears a deep “Damn boy what took you so long to call your dad?” His dad has always scared him and he hates when he recalls why. He pushes those thoughts down and replies with a monotone: “Sorry I’ve been busy with school work.” His dad ignores the uninterested tone in his voice and continues on with mundane small talk. After what feels like an eternity they finally end with “I love you” and Jimin lets out a breath that he didn’t realize he was holding. He didn’t love his father. Not in the slightest. He hated the effect his father had on him. He walks over to his computer almost forgetting his appointment with Misty. He lays on his bed and pops the gear on his head and pulls the visor down over his eyes. He’ll do his homework tonight he thinks as he closes his eyes. 

The Plaza looks much fuller than yesterday and he assumes that it’s because it’s Friday. More people are off of work and school ready to enjoy the newly released game. He opens his map and heads toward the boutique. He takes in the weird medieval, yet futuristic buildings he passes by. Tae wasn’t kidding when he said the game feels like a familiar yet entirely new world. He’s sure he has seen that type of architecture during a history lesson but can’t pinpoint exactly where. When he walks into the boutique he looks for misty. There are other customers but only about three or four. Misty pops up out of nowhere again and gives Jimin a small heart attack. He should really get used to that. “Hey Jimin! You ready? It shouldn’t take long. I know you want to explore more areas other than my little ole shop?” She says with faux sadness. Jimin giggles and follows Misty to the back of the boutique. There he sees the boutique is also part salon. He sits down in the salon chair but notices a lack of supplies and hair washing stations. He figures that they aren’t needed because of the use of skills in the game. They range from haircutting to archery to sword fighting. There are probably thousands. He learned about skills through the website. It was extensive. “So what are we thinking? Something natural? Something striking? We could even try going bald?” She teases. Jimin was thinking about this during school and came up with something unique. Although most cosmetologists were comfortable with doing stuff to their hair Jimin never tried. He has jet black natural hair and has never done anything to alter it. Even having the default brown hair on his avatar was exciting to him. However, he wanted to push things farther and do something he has always wanted to try. “I was thinking silver for the color... almost white? And for my hair to be past my shoulders. What do you think Misty?” Before she speaks her eyes shine with excitement. “That would be so awesome. Let’s do it!” She opens her personal drop down menu and goes to her skill list where she clicks on a scissor icon and goes to work. The skills In the game are way more simplified than real life. She only has to push a couple of buttons and his hair is dramatically different. The glow from the activation of the skill fades and Jimin stares at himself. He feels like a totally different person. He likes it. A lot. “Wow Jimin you better watch out people will be all over you with the way you look.” She says in a playful voice. He touches his hair that has a soft loose curl to it. It slips between his fingers like silk. “Can you make my eyes a light purple?” He asks shyly feeling weird for the request. “Sure thing!” Is her reply. She stands in front of Jimin and makes a symbol with her pointer finger. She moves away and Jimin looks at the mirror again in shock. It was a beautiful light jewel tone. It made him feel powerful. More confident than he’s ever felt in his life. “Wow.” He states in a whisper. He is finally done customizing his look and he regrets none of it. He pays for Misty’s services with the default money every new player receives despite her protests. He leaves the shop feeling better than ever. As he steps outside me notices a few boys looking at him with a weird glint in their eyes. He ignores them and proceeds to walk down the streets of the plaza. He notices more boys look at him more than usual and he’s very anxious under their gazes. He isn’t used to that much attention but he does stand out. Many people still haven’t changed from their default avatars. He knows that fighting and killing creatures found in the world provides player experience, but Jimin always loved the customization aspect of any game. He secretly liked it more than the actual gameplay sometimes. Standing out from a crowd wasn’t his thing. At all. He would rather blend in but he also loved his avatar so he decided to ignore the stares. He stopped at the center of the plaza which contained a small garden with beautiful trees and fountains. Purple, blue, and red butterflies fluttered around the area and Jimin gasped. It was breathtakingly beautiful. He decided to admire a bit longer and sat down one of the many bronze benches. As he was about to admire the scenery more he felt a hand on his right shoulder. He spun around quickly and stared up into the boy’s dark green eyes. He sighed with relief recognizing his brothers avatar. Tae had showed him a picture of his avatar earlier that day during school. “You scared the hell out of me Tae!” Jimin said holding his hand to his chest. What was up with people and jump scares today? “Wow your avatar looks so good!” Tae said after a quick laugh at Jimin’s reaction. “Oh thanks I spent two days on customization. Your avatar is nice as well.” Tae’s avatar was mostly a dark green color palette with hints of brown and white lining. He had a small dagger on his right hip. “Cool. I’ve been hunting trying to get my experience up. Apparently there’s a huge announcement tomorrow by the game developer herself.” Tae explained. “Oh I didn’t even know. I’ll definitely be on to check it out tomorrow.” They continue to talk a bit before Tae heads off to meet up with his friends for experience hunting. After Tae leaves it’s dusk so he decides to look around before he gets too sleepy to continue. He stops in and out of shops along his way through the city. 

As he is walking he spots a store with a dark purple exterior isolated from the rows of the other shops. Curious, he walks closer to read the sign that states Magic, Weapons, and Tools. He walks in slowly and notices only two other people there. It’s a quiet place and he doesn’t see the owner anywhere. He decides to look around and comes across the long range weapon area. He stares at a silver bow with black arrows displayed next to it. As he stares at it he gets a weird feeling. It’s almost like it’s calling him. He touches it and feels a slight mystical energy surge around him. He has to buy it. He grabs it and heads to the front of the store, but just as he rounds the corner he falls to the ground hands first. “Oh shit! Sorry! Are you ok?” A warm yet strong voice asks reaching his hand out for assistance. “Oh it’s ok don’t worry about me.” Jimin says in a embarrassed tone as he looks up into who he bumped into. His cheeks were already stained a soft pink from the embarrassment but the shade darkens as he looks up into the face of a boy. Boys made him feel nervous in general but it didn’t help that the boy was very mesmerizing. He had short jet black hair with bangs that covered his forehead and parts of his eyebrows. His jaw was well defined. His eyebrows were thick but groomed and his eyes were a brooding, yet comforting brown. Jimin lifted himself up so fast he nearly fell again. “Are you sure you’re alright?” The other boy asked concern lacing his voice. “I- I’m f-fine,” Jimin stuttered only causing him to mentally curse his dumb stutter. The other boy picked up the bow and handed it back to Jimin. Jimin gently grabbed it and felt stupid for being choked up by the boy. He gave a small thank you and continued to the register. He payed the shop owner quickly and left as fast as he could. What was that? He reprimanded himself in his mind. He logs out immediately after he exits the store. 

He awakes to the real world and sits up hot and sweaty. The encounter with that boy left him feeling strange, and very embarrassed. Feeling overheated he goes into the shower with much colder water than he would like. He steps out and gets dressed in a pajama set he got from his mom on his birthday. It was soft and plush with small kittens all over. He walked back to his bed and closed his eyes waiting for tomorrow to come. 

He wakes up a little later than usual which he usually did on the weekends to rest up for the upcoming week. He showers and grabs his sketchbook and a black pencil bag that contained his supplies. He goes downstairs and heads to the backyard. He sets his supplies down on the wooden table and opens his sketchbook. He looks out at the pond in his yard surrounded by lotus plants. He admires the red roses growing around the small pond and decides that is what he wants draw. He begins sketching and allows himself to lose himself in his artwork. After finishing his watercolor painting of the scenery he realizes the sun is starting to set. He always surprised himself with how time passed when he was in his creative mindset. He thinks about the moment of embarrassment yesterday and tears up. He shouldn’t beat himself up for such a simple mistake but he couldn’t help how anxious he got when he over analyzed situations. The black haired boy comes to his mind and he stops it immediately. He packs up and heads back inside. “The event should be starting soon. Are you ready?” Tae asks as Jimin walks in the kitchen. “Oh yeah I’m ready. I’ll meet you in game,” he says. Tae heads to the couch in the living room setting up his game. “Hey ChimChim! We’re going out for date night tonight. I already told your brother, but I love you I’ll see you later tonight. You guys be safe, and don’t answer the door for anyone!” His mother explains. Jimin says he loves her too and they walk out of the house. Jimin walks up to his room and boots up his computer. He checks for any updates and clears his notifications. He equips the head piece and goes into his familiar laying position on his bed. 

If he thought the plaza was packed yesterday then he had no idea what to classify this as. It seemed like everyone in the game was packed inside this one area. He decides to look for Misty seeing her green icon next to her name on his friends list. She’s online so he messages her with the in game chat function. Jimin agrees to wait for her where he spawned. He looks at the name of the only other player on his friends list and notices Tae still isn’t on. “He needs to hurry or he’ll miss the event...” he mumbles. Misty shows up next to him in time for the announcement. The giant timer in the sky reads thirty seconds left until the announcement starts. He messages Tae and asks about his whereabouts but is interrupted by the sound of a loud alarm and fireworks. A giant screen pops up out of thin air in the sky with a beautiful woman in the center of it. She looks close to her 30’s and has a short blunt bob the color of obsidian. She wears thick black glasses that age her. Her outfit is a white lab coat on top of a black turtle neck. She has a small smile before she speaks. “Welcome players. I am very happy to announce that there are over ten million players within the first three days of launch. I did not expect this much support and I thank all of you for joining me for this historic moment.” The woman’s face turns stern with no emotion before she speaks again. “This virtual world was my unique creation meant to analyze the behavior of players around the world. This moment will go down in history as one of the most polarizing events to occur globally, but I believe the purpose is worth the expense.” Jimin feels a weird feeling in the lower pits of his stomach. Something is off with the woman on the screen. “From today on you will be analyzed and recorded for the advancement of modern psychology and philosophy. You will not be able to log out at any time from this point on. It has been disabled as an option for all players. All players logged in will be killed immediately if their device is taken off in the physical world.” Jimin freezes. His mind is racing and he can’t form any coherent thoughts. He pulls down his menu with shaky hands and sees the log out option disabled just as the woman stated. He hears shouting and sobbing in every direction. He slowly turns his head towards Misty and sees her crying uncontrollably. “The goal is simple: reach floor 100 and win in order to release every player in the world. However, remember that if you die in my world: you die in the physical world. Your life here holds the same weight here as it does in real life. Make the most of it. Also, your avatars will be reverted to duplicate the real you. Your life is on the line. Do not forget that.” The screen disappears into thin air and Jimin nearly faints. A low glow of blue light appears over him and his avatar is stripped away. He opens the reflection option on his player menu and sees the real him. Black hair and all. It was true. He was looking at himself as if it was a mirror at home. Misty doesn’t look too different from her avatar in game. Her hair is longer and a darker shade of brown. “Misty are you ok?” He says worried. She hasn’t stopped crying just like many others. He looks around and sees desperation and anger on many faces. He steadies himself and forces himself to calm down. He prayed someone would catch him before he lost himself physically and mentally. He only has himself, however, and musters up enough willpower to pull Misty with him to a bench. 

They sit for what seems like hours before Misty stops crying. They sit there In silence. Misty breaks the silence with a defeated tone. “We should find an inn to stay at. I don’t want to sleep outside.” She says with a sprinkle of cheerfulness that you would miss if you didn’t know her. Jimin nods and they follow the closest inn on the map. They reach the inn and separate into two different rooms with availability being an issue. He gets to his room and breaks down immediately. His back was against the headboard and his arms were around his knees locked to his chest. He doesn’t remember the last time he cried this hard. He was terribly afraid and all he wanted was to see his mom and brother’s faces. He couldn’t believe this was happening. He lay there until he falls asleep thinking about the future. He didn’t know what he was going to do exactly, but he made a declaration that night to do whatever it took to get home as soon as he could.


	2. Broken Clocks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Sexual Description

Chapter 2: Broken Clocks

Jimin wakes up with a knock on his door. He stretches his arms above his head and opens his eyes slowly. The room looks unfamiliar. Panic sets in before he can remember his situation. The continuous knocking prevents him from continuing to overthink. Wanting the noise to stop he finally walks over to his door. He opens his door slowly before realizing it was Misty. “Hey! Mind if I come in?” She asks in her normal cheerful tone. He had no idea how she sounded so cheerful with their current predicament. They sit in silence for a few minutes before Misty speaks. “We can cry about our situation or we can make the most of the cards we’ve been dealt. I choose to believe we can survive this. What about you?” He stares at her with a surprised look before he speaks. “I believe we can, too.” Misty smiles at him. “Well, I didn’t sign up to fight to the death, but it looks like that’s exactly what will have to happen. I’m not much of a fighter, and I think I’ll just get in the way if I step onto the battlefield. So, I made the decision that I would help those who can fight by turning my boutique into a blacksmith shop.” “That would a great use of your skills, Misty.” He replies. “Well I want to be useful in the fights to come somehow,” she chuckles. “Soon someone will have to defeat the first floor so I should start renovating now. Good luck on whatever you decide to do Jimin.” She hugs Jimin and they both sniffle before she releases him. “Thank you for everything Misty. You can contact me whenever you need anything.” She gives Jimin a wave goodbye and leaves his room with a small smile. 

He realizes his body has changed back into his real one, but thankfully the in-game clothes and accessories were the same. He felt like... himself and he counts say he was thrilled about it. He wished he could look like the strong avatar he had before. After staring at himself in the mirror he sits on his bed and begins to think about his options. He knows people will fight for the release of the players, stay on the first floor in fear, or help the fight in whatever way they could. He may not be someone who charges the front lines, but he hates the idea of not helping at all. He recalls his player class and skill set and realizes he should put them to use in some way. He doesn’t know exactly how to help or what to do but he has the desire to. He decides that he’ll train and level up his support skills in order to do that. It’s dangerous to go outside of the safe zones in the Plaza, but it’s necessary to attain the experience points he needs. With that resolution in mind he gives one last look at himself and heads outside of the inn. 

He is greeted with a bright sun and clear sky. This would be beautiful if he wasn’t in the situation he’s in. He pulls up his map and finds a practice range. He wants to test his skills and aim for a few days before heading into dangerous territory. He doesn’t have to walk too far before he sees the area. It has many stations in a open field geared to various skillsets. There are dummies made of straw for sword swinging and wooden posts with archery target points not too far from it. He heads towards the archery area and opens his inventory. He equips the silver bow and breathes in deeply. He places the black matte arrow in place and pulls it back aiming at the target. He doesn’t have any references from real life so it’s entirely new to him. He releases the arrow and it completely misses and shoots past the target. He grabs another arrow and the result is only slightly better. He knows it’s gonna be a long day. 

After shooting arrows for an hour he sits in the meadow and catches his breath. He opens the menu and investigates his skill set column. The only skill he has access to is Water Element: Minor Healing. He sees upgradeable skill trees underneath it, but he isn’t high enough level to access them. Just then he hears a scream from his right side near the sword training area. He looks over and sees a boy grasping his side on the floor and he notices the other boy above him. Jimin calms down after seeing “Duel Over” hovering above the boys. He read about the player friendly duels in the manual for the game. It never allowed the health of a player to drop completely. In the situation they’re in he sees it as a blessing. Reaching zero life points now meant certain death. “Ha! Come on now that’s all ya got?!” He hears the standing boy shout. “Whatever.” The other boy with blonde hair said from the floor. “Come on Suga you need to be better than that if you want to defeat any boss.” “I know that, idiot. Can you just shut up, Jin.” Suga and Jin. They seem like they know each other well. “How am I supposed to heal my health points now? I don’t want to go all the way to the plaza to heal.” Suga pouts. “Hm. Well I don’t know any support players and I don’t have any healing abilities so you’re fucked.” Jin laughs loudly. Suga looks annoyed and makes eye contact with Jimin. Jimin looks away quickly hoping not to cause any problems. He hears murmurs from behind him and sees two shadows approaching him soon after. “Hey there! Can you help us?” Jin asks in a sweet yet confident tone. He eyes them and notices the boy Jin is taller than him. Jimin is only around 5’7. The boy, Jin, has a very symmetrical face has a charm about him. The other boy, Suga, is slightly shorter than Jin. He has a serious face and the dark root color notifies Jimin he isn’t a natural blonde. Suga has a baby face but his expressions age him a little. “My friend over here just lost a duel to me and can’t heal his life points. Do you know any support players close by?” Suga stands slightly behind Jin with a frown on his face. Jimin hates social interaction but he would feel bad if he lied to them. “Oh yes I’m a support player. I can help if you want?” Jimin says in a small voice. “Great! See, Suga! I told you there wouldn’t be harm in asking!” Jin says and Suga simply rolls his eyes. Suga lays down on the grass and lifts his shirt to expose the red digital mark on his ribs. Jimin blushes slightly and hovers his hands over the mark. “Water Element: Minor Healing.” Jimin chants in a quiet voice. His hands are surrounded in water in a matter of seconds. It’s a sphere of water covering both hands up to his wrists. He places it over Suga’s wound and it glows a brilliant blue. He holds it there for a few seconds and watches in awe as Suga’s life points rise slowly and steadily. Once the water evaporates into the air the wound is closed significantly yet not gone all the way. The spell didn’t heal Suga to full health and Jimin felt bad because of it. “S-Sorry my spells aren’t that strong.” He splutters. “Wow! That was amazing! Don’t worry about it... uh?” Jin looks quizzically at Jimin. “Oh sorry my name is Jimin.” He states. “Well thank you for helping out my friend here. We really appreciate it! We should add each other. Since we’re stuck here for who knows how long. Having as many different people added should be really helpful,” He laughs. Jin opens his menu and Jimin sees a small interactive menu pop up in front of him. Accept Jin’s friend request? It reads. Jimin hesitates but pushes the green check mark. You and Jin are now friends! “Nice!” Jin says with a grin. “Hello? Aren’t you going to say thank you to Jimin, Suga? He saved you a long trip!” Suga looks annoyed, which seems to be a normal feeling for him, Jimin notices. “Thanks.” Suga says. Accept Suga’s friend request? Jimin accepts it and looks at the ground shyly. “Well it’s getting late we should head back Suga. Thanks again Jimin we really do appreciate it!” Jimin nods and smiles slightly and the boys leave as fast as they came. That was interesting. Jimin stores his bow and arrows away and wipes off his pants as he stands up. He decides that’s enough for one day. He sees a notification that informs him that he reached level 2. He had gotten experience from his bow training and the healing spell he used on Suga. Progress in any form was helpful. 

Before he heads back into the inn he stops by a food shop. It’s run by an NPC unlike Misty’s Boutique. He orders a small soup. He’s not sure if eating matters in a virtual world, but he eats anyways. It’s a weird experience. He can taste the soup but it doesn’t feel like he’s consuming anything. He figures it’s more for mimicking the need to eat in the real world more than anything else. He thinks about his situation as he eats. He wonders what his mom must be thinking? Is she worried? Does his dad even care he’s stuck in some game made by a crazy developer? He remembers that Tae never logged in on time and he thanks whatever prevented him from logging in that moment. He sighs and rubs his temples. It’s all so sudden and it’s driving Jimin crazy. He feels lonely and misses his family dearly. Those two feelings aren’t the nicest combination. He finishes his soup and decides to head to the inn. 

The next day he passes by Misty’s shop to see the progress and it has the same pastel color scheme, but with dangerous looking gear inside. The juxtaposition is quite silly he thinks. After a small conversation with Misty he decides to continue his training. As he strolls along the cobblestone street he notices a small crowd in the main square. He isn’t usually someone who approaches groups of people but his curiosity gets the best of him. The conversation gets louder as he approaches the small crowd. He peers down into what looks like a small destroyed colosseum. There is a man in white and gold clothing giving a speech in the middle of the enclosed area. He has blue hair that has a slight wave to it. He seems charismatic and gives off a strong leader-type vibe. “We must give the rest of the player-base hope that we can make it out of this virtual hell. Are you with me?” The man bellows. He receives a loud “yes” from his audience. “We head out tomorrow at noon! We will defeat the first floor boss with a convincing performance!” The crowd cheers and the man makes eye contact with Jimin unexpectedly. The man gives a small smirk and walks towards Jimin. Jimin starts to breathe faster and he feels his heart thud in his ears. “Why hello there! Did you enjoy the speech?” Jimin looks down and responds in a hushed voice. “Oh hello... yes it was quite convincing. Although, I only heard the last parts of it.” “No problem! We were simply planning to be the first group to attempt the first boss fight. There has been no one trying and that simply cannot do. We need to escape the game as soon as possible. I’m sure we can do it. Would you like to join us? What’s your class?” Jimin wants to back away but he knows it would be really disrespectful to leave now. “I’m a Support player. I’m also a long range attacker with my bow.” Jimin says still not looking him in the eyes. “That’s perfect! We only have one other support player. They don’t seem to be that popular... we have plenty of Warrior and Assassin players, however. I would never push any players out of the safe zone if they didn’t want to, but I think you would be a great asset on this expedition. What do you say?” Jimin doesn’t say anything for about a minute thinking over his options. He knows he wants to help get every innocent player home, but would he be of any assistance at the level he’s at? If he’s even more honest is he prepared to risk his life and commit fully? “Um. I appreciate the kind words, but I’m not sure if I’m ready? I’ll think about it before you depart tomorrow. Thank you for the invitation.” He says. “Well I hope you do what makes the most sense for you. If you decide to join us meet here tomorrow before noon to be included in our battle strategy. My name is Deangelo by the way. You?” “It’s Jimin.” He replies. “Nice meeting you Jimin. See you tomorrow!” Deangelo walks away and Jimin relaxes. He really needs to be more comfortable around men, but it’s really difficult. He knows it’s an irrational fear but he hasn’t been treated the best by most of them especially from his own family. He shakes out of his thoughts and heads towards the training area he was at yesterday. 

When he arrives he sees two familiar faces. He recognizes Jin and Suga but there is someone else with them. Jimin stops walking immediately. He prays it’s not who he thinks it is. That strong jaw. The black hair. It’s the boy he bumped into when he bought his bow. Before he can avoid them he hears Jin’s voice. “Hey Jimin! Come here!” Jimin debates running out of there as fast as he can. He almost does, but he already knows he wouldn’t do that to them. He walks timidly towards the three boys and does everything he can to avoid conversation with the black haired boy. “Hey you training again? We’re making some last minute adjustments to our supplies for tomorrow. We’re taking on the first boss! Gotta be prepared, you know?” Jin explains with a vigor. He had no idea they were going to be apart of Deangelo’s squad. He feels instant worry for the boys. “Oh yeah. Sorry we didn’t introduce you to our other friend. Go on.” He says looking pointedly to the boy from before. Jimin turns his head slowly and looks at the boy. He gets a weird feeling in his stomach that makes him queasy. The other boy gives Jimin a small smile before holding out his hand. “Nice to meet you. My name is Jungkook.” Jimin knows his hands are shaking but extends one out to Jungkook and places it lightly in his hand. Jungkook stares at Jimin’s hands before letting go. He has a confused look on his face but it soon turns to one of surprise. “Hey I feel like I know you somehow.” Jimin looks confused at that accusation. He was sure Jungkook hadn’t forgotten about him already? He felt disappointed but didn’t know why. Hold up. Realization hits Jimin and he remembers that he didn’t look like himself when they first met. He was still under the guise of his avatar. “I thought I recognized your rings but that may have been someone else. Sorry if that’s strange.” Jungkook says with a nervous chuckle. “Sorry uh y-yes we’ve met before. I’m the one who bumped into you at the shop. I-I was using my avatar back then. She had long white hair.” Jimin manages to get out. He knows his cheeks are pink burning with embarrassment. “Oh shit yeah I remember. Really sorry about that by the way. You weren’t hurt or anything right?” He says with that familiar concerned tinge to his voice. “It’s ok. Don’t worry about it.” Jimin says quickly. “Well, nice meeting you Jimin. Bye guys. I’ll hit you up later when I’m done with my errands.” Jungkook gives a small wave and smile to Jimin and walks away. “Hey we weren’t done training! That asshole.” Jin remarks. Jimin turns back to the other two boys. “Since you know about the plan tomorrow I would like to formally invite you to the squad. Is it something you’d be interested in Jimin? We could use all the help we could get.” Jimin knows it’s a very dangerous task to complete. Deangelo said he would be helpful but doubt arises again. “Actually Deangelo told me about the plan earlier today.” Jimin pauses. He doesn’t know if he’ll regret it but he wants to protect these guys. They’re nice people. He knows his trust hasn’t been kind to him in the past but this is different. “Sure I can support you guys.” Jimin says with a forced smile he usually gives. “That’s huge! Thank you Jimin! We’ll protect you with all we’ve got! I’m a Tank class and Suga is a Warrior class player. You fit well with our skillsets.” Jin explains. Jimin is immediately worried and continues to speak in a more serious tone then he expected. “Don’t ever risk your lives for me.” Jin and Suga look at each other then at Jimin surprised at the small person with such a serious tone. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” Jimin states with a more gentle tone. He leaves before they can respond. 

Jimin can hardly sleep. He’s trying to process the multitude of scenarios and emotions he felt today. He hates dealing with emotions. Sometimes he wishes irrelevant emotions like embarrassment or worry didn’t exist. He remembers Jungkook and he immediately turns red. What is wrong with him? That boy makes him all warm with a strange feeling he can’t pinpoint. No. Jimin feels himself becoming aroused. His breath comes out faster matching his racing heartbeat. His legs are rubbing together trying to gain friction. He’s touched himself before but he hates the shame he feels afterwards. He reaches down and rubs his hips slowly. He lets out a small gasp. His right arm is rubbing up and down his soft stomach up to his chest. He rubs himself and starts feeling the best he’s felt in a while. He continues touching himself and before he can control it he climaxes. The high doesn’t last long. He feels a mix of guilt and pleasure all at once. He feels dirty for thinking of Jungkook that way when he hasn’t even known him for 24 hours. He gets up immediately to shower. As he rubs the soap on his stomach he feels even worse after the aroused high fades away. He isn’t afraid of sex as much as he would like to think but he has always felt like he was meant to be alone. He’s too moody. Too pessimistic and too annoying for anyone to like him. His lack of friends proves the gnawing facts he thinks about himself. He swears to never let himself get that far thinking of Jungkook again.

The next morning has Jimin feeling anxious and afraid. He is about to risk his life. It had hit him as he was getting dressed. He wore his normal dark blue top and his loose black pants. He checked his inventory one last time. He had thirty arrows and his bow. He had bought a few minor potions of magic stamina on the way to the inn yesterday. He didn’t know what to expect but he didn’t want to run out of healing for his team. He equips his bow to his back and heads out the inn. He received a message from Jin that said he, Suga, and to Jimin’s horror, Jungkook would be at the colosseum. He walks with purpose and arrives 15 minutes before the rest of the guys. Jin and Suga arrive together and make small talk while Jimin stands by. Jungkook arrives 5 minutes later and Jimin barely acknowledges his hello. He can’t look at Jungkook without last night popping up in his head. He thinks he sees worry in his eyes but Jimin looks away immediately. That look he gives him always makes Jimin feel strange. “Hello everyone! Today marks a special day. Today we achieve what no other player has done: we beat floor one’s boss. We have no information about its attack patterns or skills. However, we’ll take the fight slow and gain information as we go. We only have three groups. My squad, the Lions, will be responsible for front line armor protection. We consist of tanks and warriors. The second squad, the Snakes, will be in charge of mid range damage. Finally, an independent group, Jin’s group, will fill in the areas that are necessary. Jin and Suga will help the front line. Jungkook is a melee assassin. Therefore, he shall be our main damage dealer. Our job is to get Jungkook space to work with and openings to benefit from. Finally, our only support player, Jimin. He will be at the very back of our formation healing wounded allies and also attacking long range when possible. Therefore, if Jimin goes down our chances of winning dwindle dramatically. Protect him at all costs. This is the plan. Stick to it as closely as possible. If anything falls out of line do not panic. Understood?” Jimin feels angry at the speech. How dare Deangelo put Jimin’s life above anyone else’s? Just as he was about to say something Jungkook places a hand on his back. Jimin’s eyes snap to Jungkook. “Don’t worry. You’re important to the mission. I’m sure everyone would sacrifice themselves for the greater good if they had to. If not why would they be here?” He smiles at Jimin and walks towards Deangelo. Jimin feels warm and is shocked at how well  
Jungkook read his mind. 

Ten minutes later everyone is following Deangelo towards the direction of the boss dungeon. They walk for a while through a lush forest. It’s quiet. He looks at the others and notices worry etched on their faces. He was equally as scared. He doesn’t think about it too much and before he can think further they reach a mountainside. On the side of the mountain is a giant charcoal grey door. It’s way taller than any human and the gold knobs sparkle in the sunlight. It’s beautiful but he knows what lies behind it is anything but. Deangelo turns around and looks at his squad with a determined face. He nods his head and turns around facing the door once more. He pushes the door in and a cold breeze blows past them. Jimin shivers at the icy gust. He gets a feeling of dread immediately. Deangelo takes a step forward and they follow him in. Jimin is the last one to enter the hall. The door closes behind automatically and silence engulfs the expansive hall. The room has pillars on both sides and is lighted by a bright chandelier hanging in the middle of the hall. There is an exact replica of the door they came from far across the room. He imagines it provides access to the second floor. It is eerily quiet. Before he can think further, right in front of them, a beam of light rains down from the ceiling in a cylindrical shape. A giant rat-like animal stands upright on its hind legs. It has armor surrounding its head, chest, and knees. It carries a scythe in its right hand and a small shield in the other. Two smaller beams of light pour down to the right and left of the animal. Two smaller rodents emerge with swords. Jimin shakes with nervousness. He’s trying to pull himself together before the chaos ensues. “You know the plan! Get in formation!” Deangelo belts. The rest of the squad members create lines of defense in front of him just like they planned. 

It feels like an eternity before a loud shriek comes from the boss rodent. At that moment the two smaller ones charge at the frontline. They’re smaller than the boss but taller than an average human. Jimin pulls out his bow with shaky hands and starts aiming at the boss. Before he fires his arrow he hears screams in front of him. His nurturing instinct takes hold and his eyes snap to a member leaking red digital liquid. The first injured soldier. Jimin doesn’t know what comes over him but his normal, calm nature takes over. Jin is slightly in front of him. “Jin! Protect that injured soldier until he gets to me! He needs my help!” Jin nods and calls orders to the front. “Stand your ground!” Deangelo yells. Jimin sees Suga and Jungkook holding off the enemy on the right. The members on the left are struggling much more. Jin runs towards the left to help out. The injured player from before finally makes it to Jimin and he wastes no time. He drops to his knees and recites his spell. “Water Element: Minor Healing.” The water surges from his hands and he places it over the slash mark. The soldier has calmed down slightly and has half of his life points restored. As soon as he’s done another player is brought to him for healing. He repeats the process again. As he’s healing he sees the front line successfully kill the enemy Suga and Jungkook were fighting. “Help me please!” As he turns his head to the left brigade he freezes. One player has been cut at the throat from the attacking animal. His life meter hovering over his head depletes fast. It reaches zero before Jimin is able to reach him. The player lets out a petrified yell as his body explodes into pieces of shimmering light. Jimin feels tears pricking at his eyes. He looks away and focuses on his healing duty. Two more injured players have arrived needing help while he was looking away. “Tighten the formation! Focus on the last small rodent!” Jimin’s hands are shaking. He opens his inventory and takes a magic stamina potion. He continues his healing. Jungkook deals the final blow to the last minion rodent. All the remaining soldiers face the boss. The boss gives what looks like a small grin. Jimin isn’t paying attention when the boss’ eyes hone in on him. Jungkook eyes the scythe the boss holds and sees a long chain equipped to the bottom of it. He knows something isn’t right. He follows the rat’s eyes and feels a dread unlike any other. It’s looking at Jimin. “Jimin move!” He yells. Jimin looks towards him and sees the boss swirling the scythe in a circular movement. It’s looking at him and Jimin can’t move. He sees the hate in the virtual monster’s eyes. It feels too real to be fake. The boss lets go of the scythe and it flies towards Jimin at an alarming rate. Jimin is ready to accept his death. He hears Jungkook yell his name but it’s muffled. Jin and Suga look distraught. 

A sound of metal clashing against metal shatters against the room. Jimin opens his eyes and sees a tall figure in front of him. Deangelo. The tall man falls backwards with his head near Jimin’s knees. Jimin picks his head up and sees the scythe lodged into Deangelo’s chest. The scythe has penetrated the armor and his life points are rapidly declining. “Water Element: Minor Healing!” Jimin rushes to Deangelo’s side and places his shaky hands over the wound. Please. Please. Please! He chants. This isn’t real. Deangelo took the hit for Jimin. Jimin is sobbing now. His eyesight is blurry and he’s chanting “please” in desperation out loud now. Red liquid oozes out of the wound and out of Deangelo’s mouth. He hears the clashing of metal behind him. A strong hand is placed on his forearm. “Jimin stop.” He ignores Deangelo and continues to heal him. “Jimin!” Jimin looks at Deangelo. “I took too much damage.” “You’re gonna be ok. I’m s-still healing you. D-don’t worry.” Jimin says sobbing. He sees Deangelo smile. The man forces Jimin’s hands away from him stopping the healing. “I am grateful to have died fighting for what I believe in. Don’t cry. I made this choice. There are others that need your help. Go to them.” Jimin watches helplessly as Deangelo’s life meter drops to zero. He sees Deangelo mouth what looks like a “thank you,” to him. Right after that he explodes into the same fragmented shards of light. 

Jimin watches the shards fade away. He isn’t crying anymore. He doesn’t feel anything. He slowly looks up and sees players fighting the boss but everything is silent to him. His eyes return to his normal emotionless state. He rises slowly and pulls his bow from his back to in front of him. He grabs an arrow and arms the weapon. He sees the boss has only 1/3 of its life left thanks to Jungkook and the others. He pulls the arrow back. “Water Element: Frozen Malice.” The arrow glows and is slowly engulfed with shards of ice. The arrow glows brightly and many of the other players turn to him in awe. It all feels like it’s happening in slow motion. Jimin yells with the pain that was swimming inside him. The yell stops the fighting and all eyes are on him. He releases the arrow and it travels at an insane speed towards the boss. A loud guttural sound fills the room from the giant rodent. It falls to its stomach and explodes into fragments. 

“Congratulations, Jimin! You have defeated Snearon the Rodent!” Jimin drops to his knees and pulls them into himself. He sobs uncontrollably for a long time. After he calms down a little Jin and Suga surround him with a warm embrace. He looks up and Jungkook is kneeling in front of him with a brown box. “This belongs to you.” He says with a sad expression on his face. “It’s the reward for defeating the boss.” He continues with a sad smile. Jimin reaches out slowly and rubs his puffy eyes. The box has a gold frame surrounding it. It has no symbols on it. He opens it slowly and his eyes widen when he sees what’s inside. Three eggs. Not normal eggs, however. They’re much larger than a chicken egg and they have a scale-like texture to them. The far left one is dark blue with an orange iridescent sheen. The far right is a forest green with a purple iridescence. The middle egg is what takes Jimin’s breath away. It’s a deep gold with a pink holographic tinge. “What are they?” Jimin says in a shaky voice. “There are many creatures in the game that can be tamed. Aren’t you a Tamer class, Jimin?” Jungkook asks in a careful tone. “Yeah. They kind of look like... Dragon scales.” Jimin replies. “Well it looks like you’re going to be a mom soon.” Jimin giggles as much as he can in his exhausted state. “I’m glad you’re okay!” Jin finally says. He hugs Jimin tighter and Suga smiles for the first time that Jimin can remember. Jungkook rises from his feet and walks to the entrance of the door for floor 2. He opens it with a bit of force and a warm gust fills the room. “We did it everyone.” Jungkook says and the other players look at each other and cheer loudly. It was an accomplishment. They lost a few players but in the end they succeeded. “Let’s go.” Jungkook says and everyone starts walking towards the warm tropical breeze. 

When Jimin steps through the threshold of the door he gasps. On the left is an expansive ocean reflecting the orange tones of the setting sun. The breeze tussles his hair and stings his irritated eyes. Oh right. Deangelo. He fights back the tears and pulls the box full of Dragon eggs tighter to his chest. They walk down a sandy road with the others for a while before they see a city ahead. It’s nearly dark out. “Finally a safe player area,” Suga says in a sigh of relief. The survivors quicken their pace and soon arrive at the beachside city. “We’re the first players ever to set foot here.” Jin says. It’s so beautiful. The city is less modern than The Plaza but it has a nice charm to it. “We should rest here tonight before we inform other players that we beat the boss. It’s been a long day,” Jungkook says to the group. All the other players head to various small homes in the serene city. Jimin wonders where he’ll stay tonight. He doubts he’ll be able to sleep anyways. “Hey Jimin you alright?” Jin asks. “Oh I’m fine Jin. Just a little tired.” He replies. “Suga, Jungkook, and I usually share a space to sleep. Did you want to join us?” Jin asks. Jimin notices everyone is gone except them. He’s feeling really sensitive so he decides to accept the invitation. They walk towards the beach homes closer to the shore. They approach a decent sized home that sits on stilts above the sand. Jin and Suga go up the stairs first with Jungkook behind them. Jungkook, however, stops and lets Jimin go ahead of him. Jimin blushes and walks past him up the stairs with a small thank you. When they reach the top Jimin notices the lock symbol in front of the door and a high number under it. It’s the price of the home. The price is 30,000 in-game currency. “Damn that’s pretty pricey for a house like this.” Jungkook says mildly annoyed. Jimin really doesn’t feel like searching for another place this late. Then he remembers. He pulls down his drop down menu and looks at his currency. He has 25,000 coins. He sighs in relief. “Uh, guys? I got a bunch of money as a reward for the killing blow on the boss. We can use that. I don’t mind at all.” Jimin hopes they won’t argue about it. He really needs to sleep and he truly doesn’t mind spending the money. It’s not really his anyways. There were more people who deserved the majority of the money than he did. “We won’t let you pay for all of it, don’t be crazy. We’ll pitch in as well.” Jin refutes. They each take turns inputting their amount into the interactive menu on the door. Once the cost is covered they let Jimin walk in first to choose the room he prefers. Jimin tries to tell them that it isn’t necessary to let him pick first but they weren’t taking no for an answer. Both rooms were fairly similar except one room. It had a great view of the ocean and Jimin got lost just staring through the window. “Good choice.” Jimin jumps from the sudden voice behind him. He turns around to see Jungkook leaning against the doorway. “Oh my- you scared me.” “That seems to happen to you a lot,” he taunts. Jimin smiles. There’s a small pause before Jungkook speaks again. “Jin and Suga decided to share a room. To no one’s surprise. That makes me your default roommate,” Jungkook says with a hint of hesitation. “But if you’d rather sleep alone I can sleep on the couch no biggie.” Being in the same bed as a boy is scary for some irrational reason to Jimin, but there’s no way in hell he’d make Jungkook sleep on a couch. “That’s fine. We can share,” Jimin says with as much confidence as he can allow himself. Jungkook smiles and heads to the opposite side of the bed. Jimin heads to the restroom that connects the two rooms and pulls up his inventory to swap clothes. As he heads back into the room he nearly faints. He slams the door so fast he think he may have broke it. “Oh my god I’m so s-sorry!” Jimin says feeling flustered and hot. He walked in on Jungkook swapping his combat gear to a normal t-shirt. “It’s alright no need to apologize!” Jungkook shouts back through the door. “I’m finished changing now!” Jimin closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. This was a horrible idea. He opens the door slowly and avoids eye contact with Jungkook. He places the eggs on the nightstand next to his table and lays on the bed. He feels the weight of Jungkook getting comfortable and the silence that ensues isn’t the most comfortable but he’s too tired to think about it further. Jimin lays there awake for what seems like forever. He’s constantly replaying the events of today. Deangelo’s face. The boss’ shriek. Players dying. He starts to feel himself breath harder and his eyes well up. “How are you feeling?” He hears Jungkook ask in a hushed whisper. He thought he would be asleep by now. “I’m fine. Just can’t stop thinking,” he replies softly. “I know I can tell you all day that nothing is your fault but it won’t matter unless you feel the same. Don’t blame yourself for their deaths. You did what you could.” Jimin feels a small tear tracks down his face. He does feel like everything was his fault. He feels like the scummiest person on earth. He hates talking about his feelings so he avoids delving deeper into it. So instead he whispers a “thank you Jungkook,” and closes his eyes. It doesn’t take him long to fall asleep. 

Jimin awakens with a bright ray of sun covering his face. He’s facing the wall adjacent to the bathroom wall. He closes his eyes and opens them again just as slowly. A dull ache in his chest reminds him of yesterday’s events. Deangelo’s limp body flashes in his mind. The blood. The scythe. Jimin starts shaking. He brings his hands to his face. Silent tears stream down his face. He feels movement behind him and he remembers who’s next to him. He hates crying in front of other people. He forces his tears back and wipes his face clean. He turns around gently and feels himself intake a sharp breath. Jungkook is asleep on his back with one arm above his head. His lips are slightly parted. His eyes travel down on their own towards Jungkook’s stomach. His shirt is pulled up and his stomach is exposed. At that moment, the night Jimin touched himself to dirty thoughts of the boy next to him pops up in his head. He turns back around as fast as possible nearly falling off the bed. Jungkook stirs but stays asleep. Jimin sighs and quickly tiptoes to the bathroom. He looks in the mirror and takes a deep breath. He undresses and steps into the shower. He turns the heat to the highest level possible and revels in the scorching water flowing over his skin. 

In the middle of his shower he hears a knock on the door. “Come In!” Jimin yells. He really doesn’t like the idea of any of the boys being in the same room when he’s naked but there is only one restroom. He also knows the heat from his shower covers the glass enough to hide his body. “Sorry! I couldn’t hold it in anymore.” He hears Jungkook reply. Jimin notices his voice is much deeper than usual. He must’ve just woken up. He sees the outline of Jungkook’s frame rush over to the other end of the bathroom where the toilet was. Jimin’s face would be burning if he wasn’t already from his shower. Jimin looks away towards the bathroom wall. He covers his ears. “Sorry about that again!” Jungkooks says as he scurries out after washing his hands. Jimin feels a smile form on his face from Jungkook’s blurry silhouette waddling out of the bathroom. 

After Jimin gets dressed he heads to the kitchen to start breakfast. Jin and Suga are still getting ready and Jungkook was still in the shower. He doesn’t know how to cook fancy dishes, but he knows enough about cooking to make a decent meal. He also needs a distraction from his overworked brain. As he prepares the ingredients he glances over at the Dragon eggs across the room on a bronze plated side table. They glisten with their respective colors in the sunlight. They look as magical as they feel when Jimin is in their presence. He looks at them longingly but forces himself to focus on the cooking. 

He’s almost done when Jin and Suga sit at the dining room table together laughing at something Jin said. “Good Morning, Jimin!” Jin says in his normal tone. Suga gives him a quick smile and Jimin knows by now that Suga doesn’t say much with his words. He’s more of a quiet action based person like Jimin. Jimin smiles at them both and lets them continue their conversation. 

Jungkook is the last to arrive and he joins the boys at the table. He arrived just in time. Jimin has just finished making everyone’s plates and heads over to the table. Jin and Suga give Jimin a thank you as he sets down the plates in front of them. He made a virtual version of eggs, ham, and pancakes. He doubts they’ll taste as good as the ones in the real world but hopes it’s at least edible. He serves Jungkook and avoids lingering. He doesn’t like the fluttery feeling he gets in his stomach when he’s around Jungkook. He despises not having control over his emotions more than anything. Jimin loves breakfast foods but isn’t a breakfast person. His stomach is always sensitive in the morning and he’d only make himself sick if he ate after just waking up. So, he watches the boys eat and silently listens to their conversation. He wonders how they knew each other and for how long. Jungkook wasn’t there the first day he met the other boys. “Damn Jimin you’re so good at everything you do! Heal, shoot a bow, and you can cook?! I’m surprised someone hasn’t scooped you up yet!” Jin says with a laugh. Suga looks at Jimin with an expression akin to “sorry about him.” Jimin giggles at Jin’s remark and brushes it off. “Thank you for the meal Jimin it was really good,” Jungkook adds in affirmation. Jimin simply waves his hand like it was nothing and blushes. “Well, today we go back to the first floor to let the people know they can explore the second floor,” Jin says. Suga nods in approval. “I’ll be heading off soon to explore the floor further. I want to collect as much useful information as I can,” Jungkook says in a serious tone. Jin and Suga look at each other with a worried expression. “Are you sure you want to do something like that alone? It’s dangerous as hell out there man,” Jin says concerned. Jungkook offers him a small smile. “I’m fine guys. I’m used to doing stuff solo. I’m level 10 and the first week hasn’t even passed yet. I’m one of the highest ranked players in the entire game right now. I’ll be fine. Don’t stress,” He says as he pats Jin on the shoulder. “That’s fine but take it easy today. After we come back from the first floor let’s all hang out at the beach for the rest of the day. We gotta take some time to celebrate,” Jin replies. Jungkook looks like he’s debating on what to say. Jimin is only slightly relieved when he hears Jungkook agree. Jimin picks up their finished plates with a small protest from the boys. He washes them and agrees to go to the beach later on. 

Jimin watches the boys as they make their way back towards floor one. He has no idea what he wants to do today, but he knows he’ll go crazy if he stays inside all day. So he decides to make his way towards the city. He opens his map and follows the hologram to the entrance. As he makes his way there he looks at his player statistics. He’s now level 5 with the defeat of the boss. He sees an exclamation point in a red bubble next to skills and opens it. He sees an offensive skill that reads Water Element: Frozen Malice. He remembers saying the spell intuitively. He had never seen nor heard of the skill but he gained it at the right time. He was grateful for the skill that helped end the boss quickly. The cooldown for the skill was quite lengthy: 30 seconds. It may not seem like a long time but battles are fast in this game. That 30 seconds can mean life or death. His primary healing spell has no cooldown at all. It only requires spell energy. Every player has their own health amount and spell energy meter. It varies from class to class. There are many variables that impact those numbers but class is the main one. Mages have the most and Tanks have the lowest amount of spell energy. Conversely, Tanks have a higher health pool than Mages do. Supports are a happy medium between the two leaning more towards Mage stats. Warriors are closer to Tanks with less health than Tanks, but more health than a Mage or Support player. The sub-classes only impact skillsets. Each party of players can have unlimited people, but Jimin thinks having an equal amount of each class is the best way to go. He hasn’t been in a party and he doubts he’ll ever accept an invitation even if he somehow gets people that like him that much. The teamwork and synergy between the players would matter greatly. It involves a level of trust that he simply doesn’t have for other people. 

Jimin arrives at the city with plenty of daytime left. He wanders around the city that consists of mostly NPC shop owners and some players from yesterday’s attack. He strolls along the boardwalk enjoying the sun’s warmth. It’s windy but not too harsh. He feels a smile form and feels the best he’s felt since the horrible events of yesterday. After a few minutes he stumbles across a small shop. Ancient Revelations he reads. He walks in and peers inside the doorless shop. It’s filled with many books and antique looking artifacts. As he walks around an NPC walks up to him. “What are you looking for today?” Jimin turns around but finds no one. Before he can reply a flash of blue smoke emerges from a bronze pot. An old woman appears from the cloud of blue haze. “Did I frighten you?” The woman says in a raspy voice. She is shorter than Jimin which is rarely an occurrence. She circles Jimin and looks him up and down. Jimin fidgets nervously under her gaze. “Speak.” She says in a serious tone. “I’m so sorry if this was a bad time. I’ll leave immediately!” Jimin spits out. He gets an ominous feeling from the woman. “Nonsense! Look around! This dusty shop rarely gets any action.” He doesn’t want to upset her so he does just that. As he’s looking around he observes her cleaning up a section of her shop. She has a purple headpiece that covers her hair. Her skin is a gorgeous shade of ebony. The gold jewelry she wears is striking against her skin. Her dress resembles a sundress with thicker material. It’s a bold yellow with red and green accents. “I see you staring boy.” Jimin freaks out and apologizes immediately. “Stop all that apologizing. Someone needs to appreciate all this beauty,” She says with a confident and cheerful tone. He admires her confidence and wishes he had an ounce of self- confidence that she had. “Is there something you were lookin for in particular?” Jimin shakes his head no and she gives him a smile. “How about I show you something that’ll be worth seeing? I like your energy. That’s more than what I can say about the rest of the people who come through my shop.” Jimin follows her to the back entrance of her shop. As he walks in he sees candles burning all around and crystals hanging from the ceiling. It’s beautiful and haunting at the same time. He feels a buzz in the air. He couldn’t explain it if he tried. “Sit down, baby. This is gonna be a once in a lifetime experience. Jimin sits down at the ornate table in the center of the room. “Now I don’t provide this service to just anyone and certainly not for free. I hope you know how special this is,” she explains. Jimin isn’t sure what’s going on or what that alludes to but he nods anyways. “Give me your hands.” He does as she says and lifts his hands into hers slowly. She closes her eyes and he does the same. “Do not open your eyes or the process will stop. I’m going to send you into the world of the unknown. What you find there will be for you to deciper. Are you ready?” Jimin swallows and doesn’t know how he even got to this point, but he feels it’s too late to back down. He nods. The woman squeezes Jimin’s hands tighter. At that moment she begins a chant in a language he has never heard of. As he tries to make out what she’s saying Jimin feels dizzy. Soon after that he feels his body going limp. He’s panicking but he can’t move. The last thing he remembers is his head falling slowly to the table. 

He awakens slowly grasping his head in his hands. He has no idea where he is. He looks around and sees he is in a cave with rays of sunlight poking through the crevices above him. He turns around and sees no way out. His only option is to walk further into the cave. He’s very afraid but he wants to leave this place as quickly as possible. He walks cautiously through the large cave. As he continues he notices strange symbols on the cave walls. He stops to stare at one that gives him the chills. It’s a triangle that has three black circles inside of it. On the outside towards the right of the triangle is what looks like a sword. On the left is an ancient looking bow. Below it is crown. It looks as though it is melting or dripping some sort of liquid. The symbols give him a haunting feeling. From the corner of his eye he sees movement. He steps back quickly. What was that? He is beyond afraid at this point and wants to leave immediately. It takes a few seconds of searching for some sort of courage before he walks towards the movement. He doesn’t have access to his player menu so he has nothing to defend himself with. He continues until he reaches a circular room. There are no exits expect the one he came through. He looks across the room and sees a glowing green orb of light floating above a stone table. It’s eerily beautiful. He walks over to the table and stares at the light in a trance-like state. He doesn’t know if the light would harm him but the magnetic pull is strong. He needs to touch it. He tries to muster up as much self control as he can but it fails. He reaches out and touches the light. It shimmers a bit before traveling up his arm into his chest. A that moment he faints from the force of the light. 

Jimin snaps awake and notices he’s on the boardwalk floor. He has no idea what he just experienced. He remembers a shop and a old woman. He stands up on his wobbly legs and looks in front of him. The shop is gone. Nothing is there. He runs up to the empty space and moves his hands wildly in the air. This has to be a cruel joke. He knows there was a shop here. He remembers the woman’s odd chant and her charged atmospheric room. After a few minutes he realizes the shop is truly gone. He’s never experienced anything as strange as that. He shakes his head a little and opens his player menu. He sees a purple alert under his skills tab. He’s never seen that color alert before. He opens it and sees a new skill in his skill tree. Preservation. He continues to read the description under it. The gift of life is one to treasure. However, it can be taken away. This skill allows the resurrection of any one player at the cost of the users life. Jimin reads it again. This must’ve been the result of touching that green orb of light. It’s the only explanation he has as of now. The skill is categorized as a “Mythic” level skill. He had no idea there was a class that rare. He looks up at the sky and sees that it’s already dusk. He wonders how long he was gone. Oh shit. The boys. He totally forgot about the beach plans. He hopes he isn’t late. 

When he arrives at the house he sees the boys in their swim gear. “Jimin where were you?! We got worried when you didn’t respond to our messages. Are you ok?” Jin spits out almost too fast to process. Jimin felt weird about having people concerned about him. It made him feel an unexplainable feeling. “Sorry guys I lost track of time, but we can go now I’m ready,” Jimin replies with guilt laced in his apology. Jin laughs. “That’s alright just message us or call us first next time. We don’t know what’s out there.” Jimin nods his head and they head towards the beach. They only have to walk about five minutes before they arrive. 

The sun is almost gone by the time they arrive. Jimin sits down on the sand and watches as Jin runs into the water head first. Suga laughs and runs towards him diving in after him. He sees Jungkook looking over the horizon with a strange look in his eye. At that moment Jungkook notices him and gives him a smile and a wink. Jimin feels his face get hot. Jungkook takes off his shirt and he runs towards the water in only his red shorts. Jimin is glad he ran in as fast as he did. He didn’t know what he would do if Jungkook came up to him half clothed. He watches with a small smile as the boys wrestle in the water. He hates when people play rough but he wouldn’t dare ruin their fun with his momma bear instincts. He can’t believe it has nearly been a week since his life completely changed. He wonders if he’s causing any hardship for his family back home because of his situation. He assumes his body is being taken care of at a hospital or some similar facility. There’s no way players would survive without some help from the real world. He’s feeling exhausted so he lays down in the sand on his stomach. Before he closes his eyes the last thing he sees is Jungkook glowing in the sun’s beautiful orange glow. 

He feels his body moving but he’s positive he’s not walking. He feels a comfortable heat emanating from an unknown source. It’s making him feel the safest he’s felt since he arrived in the game. He opens his eyes and notices his face is flush against someone’s shirtless back. He feels strong hands under his thighs. Jimin’s arms are wrapped around said persons neck. “You up now sleepyhead?” Jimin doesn’t believe what’s happening. He’s getting a piggyback ride from Jungkook. He wants the world to swallow him up and never let him out. His ears feel hot and he just knows he’s red as a tomato. “We’re almost there so I don’t mind carrying you further. You’re easy to carry around,” Jungkook says in a teasing tone. Jimin lets out a small giggle. Ugh. Since when did Jimin giggle? He doesn’t say anything as Jungkook continues carrying him to the house. If he wasn’t so tired he would have jumped off immediately, but Jungkook has some calming energy about him that’s hard to resist. 

Jungkook sets Jimin down as soon as they say goodbye to Jin and Suga in the living room. Jimin climbs down slowly and says a quick thank you before rushing for the bathroom. He takes a few moments to collect himself and shower before he enters the room. Jungkook is leaning against the bed frame messing with his player menu. He’s looking at the map of floor two with his eyebrows furrowed. Jimin doesn’t want to disturb him so he sits on the edge of the bed drying his hair with a towel. After his hair is dry enough he folds the towel and sets it on his bedside table. He bundles up underneath the covers and lays there. “Are you up Jimin?” He asks. Jimin was still up overthinking as normal. “Yes,” Jimin replies quietly. “Thank you for the help in the boss fight. Without you we wouldn’t have been able to keep going. Your attack also prevented further casualties,” Jungkook says. Jimin feels numb towards that day. It’s the only way not to be destroyed by the grief he feels. “Thank you, Jungkook.” He tried to say it with a stable tone but he knows it came out with a pinch of melancholy. He feels Jungkook fidget for a minute before he speaks again. “I was studying the area for tomorrow. Would you like to go with me? You don’t have to if you don’t want to of course,” Jungkook says with a hint of nervousness. Jimin is surprised he would want to do something with him but also enjoys the butterflies it gives him. Jimin turns around and avoids eye contact. “Oh sure I’ll go with you. Thank you for the invitation,” he finally says. He sees a twinkle in Jungkook’s eyes and it makes his heart flutter. “Cool. We can leave in the morning. Be prepared to fight. It wouldn’t hurt to gain more experience to level up. The next boss is around level 10. I’m the same level as the boss but everyone should try to keep up with each boss as we go higher.” Jimin nods. “Well it’s late we should go to sleep. Goodnight, Jimin.” Jungkook closes his menu and turns around with his back to Jimin. Jimin turns around as well. He doesn’t want to think too much tonight so he dozes off fairly quickly. 

The next morning he awakes to an uncomfortable heat. It’s usually not as warm as this when he wakes up. His eyes are closed but he feels a sturdy object next to him. He isn’t facing away from Jungkook anymore. He’s basically in his arms. Jungkook is laying on his back with his arms spread out on each side. Jimin is mortified. He’s basically huddled up into Jungkook’s side. He doesn’t want to wake Jungkook up and find them in this position. He slowly removes himself from the bed and heads to the kitchen to get a glass of water. He closes the door and turns away to walk towards the kitchen. He’s slightly sweaty from Jungkook’s body heat and his embarrassment. As he turns towards the kitchen he stops dead in his tracks. There’s no way what he’s seeing is real. Jin and Suga are kissing feverishly in the hallway. Jin has Suga pinned against the wall and they’re grabbing at each other lustfully. At that moment Suga makes eye contact with Jimin. “Jin- Jin stop-,” Suga says. “Oh shit did I do something wrong?” He says trying to catch his breath. He follows Suga’s gaze and sees what the issue is. Jimin is standing there wide eyed with a look of surprise. “I’m so sorry. Really sorry. I didn’t mean to-“ Jimin rambles but is cut off by a calm Jin. “Hey don’t worry. We thought you were asleep. Sorry you had to witness that,” he says trying to calm the flustered Jimin. “Uh yeah sorry for not telling you earlier. Suga and I are dating. We’re just used to not showing our relationship in public.” Jimin calms down and gives them a look over. He can’t believe he didn’t catch the signs. They’re polar opposites but maybe that’s why they connect so well. His face softens and he gives Jin a small smile. “You don’t have to apologize. I won’t tell anyone if that’s what you guys would like?” Jimin tells them glancing back between the two. “You’re not weirded out?” Jin asks looking surprised. Jimin frowns at that. Why would he feel any ill will towards any form of love? “No not at all,” he replies. Jin let’s out a relieved breath. Jimin gives them the most genuine smile he can give. How could he judge someone’s sexuality? His gender and sexuality have been a point of confusion for years. He wouldn’t give anyone trouble for something as complex and personal as sexuality. Jin and Suga give him a group hug and walk past him towards the dining room table. Jimin walks in the kitchen as Jin and Suga have a small conversation while playing cards. He makes breakfast while enjoying the small talk from the living room. He serves the boys and makes a plate for Jungkook. He debates on waking him up but it gives him time to watch over his Dragon eggs. He’s been carrying them around in their box around the house as much as he can. He hasn’t seen any signs that they would be hatching soon either. He decides to get dressed so he can be ready for the departure. 

Jimin holds the eggs on his lap as he waits for Jungkook to finally get ready. As he waits he picks up the middle egg. He is surprised to feel how warm it is. He doesn’t remember them having any heat. As he inspects the egg more he gets a tap on his right shoulder. “You ready to head out?” It’s Jungkook. “Yeah I’m ready,” he replies. Jungkook gives him a small smile and they both head out for the day. 

Jungkook is walking ahead of Jimin with his player map out. Jungkook said they were just going to check out as much of the floor as they could. He added that it would be better if they could find the entrance to floor 3 as well, even if they weren’t going to try to clear it right away. They walk in silence for most of the journey. Jimin notices that it has gotten quite cloudy. They hadn’t expected it to rain but the weather is usually random and there’s no way to plan for it either. He’s ok with it though. He loves when it rains. Thunderstorms are even better. His mom used to joke that Jimin’s “happy sunny day”, unlike most people, is actually when it rains. He couldn’t explain it. He has always felt energized when it rained. As they’re walking he notices they are approaching a river in the forest they were in. They stop near the river’s edge for a quick break. Jimin pulls a woolen blanket from his inventory and lays it down on the grass before sitting. Jungkook laughs at him. “What’re you laughing at huh? I don’t want to get dirty,” Jimin says in a playful tone. He doesn’t usually joke around with Jungkook or anyone except for his family. He hopes his dry sense of humor doesn’t get taken the wrong way. “Sorry Princess I just thought it was interesting. Would you like me to fan you as well?” Jungkook says with the same humor in is voice. Jimin covers his mouth as he lets out a slightly loud laugh. He hates his real laugh. It’s very loud and obnoxious. That’s why he’s mastered his fake laugh so well. “That would be nice, but I can handle it myself,” Jimin says. Jungkook laughs as well. Jimin made lunch for both of them and figured now would be the best time to eat. He chooses the food in his inventory and two boxes of food materialize in front of him. He’s glad he had enough time to make lunch when he was making breakfast this morning. “You can sit on my blanket to eat. There’s more than enough room,” Jimin says. Jungkook looks surprised for a moment then slowly walks over. “Wow thank you. You didn’t have to cook for me,” Jungkook says sheepishly. Jimin hasn’t seen him look this shy ever. “It’s ok I had time,” Jimin says handing him his lunch. Jungkook thanks him again and they eat in a comfortable silence. Before they finish Jimin sees Jungkook snap his head up on high alert. Jimin looks at him extremely worried. Before Jimin can process what’s happening Jungkook lunges towards him and pushes him away. Jimin is confused but looks up to see Jungkook with his sword pulled out on a four legged animal. The animal is as big as a lion or tiger and has the claws to match. It’s a dark green color with black stripes along its sides. Jungkook protects himself from the animal and starts swinging back as much as he can. Jimin stands up quickly and equips his bow. All he can think about is helping Jungkook. He pulls his arrow back and gets ready to fire. As he zooms in he sees the animal is level 13. It’s higher than both of them which isn’t great news. “Water Element: Frozen Malice.” He shoots the animal in the back taking a small amount of health from the creature. The animal gives out a roar of pain and stops attacking Jungkook to turn towards Jimin. The creature’s eyes are pitch black and enveloped with rage. Jimin can’t outrun the creature even if he tried. He sees the animal dash towards him but can’t bring himself to move. Before he feels the brunt of the charge he notices the creature falls face first to the ground in front of him. Jungkook’s speed and power shocked him. Jungkook rushed forward and cut the back of the animal’s leg to stop the charge. The animal yelps in pain. “Are you okay?!” Jungkook asks putting his hands around Jimin’s body checking for injuries. He blushes at the contact. “I’m fine,” Jimin gets out. Jungkook still looks worried but forces himself to turn around towards the creature. Jimin looks at the creature as well and sees it breathing heavily. Jimin held back his power from the arrow shot in order to not harm it too bad. He saw the animal in pain and started to feel himself silently crying. He hates violence if it’s not necessary especially with animals. Humans have encroached on the lives of many animals in the real world and destroyed their homes. He always resented humans for that. Jimin walks over to the animal and slowly moves towards one of the major wounds. “Jimin! Are you crazy?” Jungkook whisper yells. Jimin looks towards him and gives him a sad but reassuring smile. Jimin places his hands slowly over a wound and begins healing the creature. He knew he could be killed at any moment, but he was banking on the animal not being aggressive once it realized he was helping. He also knew that it most likely couldn’t move due to their attacks. The animal whimpers and shakes softly. “I’m sorry baby. Everything is going to be fine,” Jimin coos to the animal trying to soothe the pain. The animal makes eye contact with him and Jimin sees the worry in its eyes. He feels awful. They were exploring through its home and it felt threatened. Jimin couldn’t be upset that it attacked them like it did. As he wraps up his healing on the smaller wounds he sets his eyes to the wound on its hind leg where Jungkook marked. He uses as much of his spell resource meter to replenish the wound. When he’s finished he backs away slowly. The animal attempts to pick itself up slowly. It stumbles at first but eventually stands. Jungkook and Jimin know it could attack again. Jimin waits anxiously as the animal looks towards them. No attack comes. The animal walks back towards the forest’s edge. They see two cubs emerge from the bushes and it all makes sense. It was a mother protecting her young. Jimin smiles at them as they walk together back into the brush. “That was very impressive Jimin. You’re very kind,” He hears from Jungkook. Jimin looks at him and directs his gaze away from making eye contact. “I couldn’t let her die. Life is precious.” He replies with a smile. Jungkook gives him a pointed look and Jimin shrinks from the intensity. He had no idea why he was looking at him like that. “Well we should continue looking for the entrance to the next boss before it gets too late. Thanks for the lunch by the way. It was delicious,” Jungkook continues in a genuine tone. Jimin gives him a “no worries” before following Jungkook along the river.

As the sun sets without any luck finding the entrance they decide to head back home. They walk back towards town with Jungkook listening to Jimin’s humming. It’s a comfortable and safe feeling. They both aren’t the talkative types so falling into a natural silence works for them. Golden lights and small buildings approach fast as they get closer to the city. “Hey you hungry? There’s no way I’m allowing you to cook for all of us after the long day we just had,” Jungkook says looking back towards Jimin. Before Jimin can think he instinctively replies. “It’s ok I can cook for you guys. I don’t mind.” Jungkook laughs. “Sorry there’s no way that’s happening. We’ll pick something up on the way.” Jimin can fight Jungkook’s offer but he lets him win. This time. “Ok sure,” Jimin finally says. 

They arrive at the house exhausted. Jimin isn’t really one for physical activity. At all. He loved being indoors and most of his hobbies involved being inside. He also loves nature though. Plus he didn’t want to turn down Jungkook’s offer. He enjoyed today. He never did anything with anyone back home. He didn’t know anyone that would want to spend their day with him. It made him feel good. He knew not to take Jungkook’s kindness for anything more. He probably felt bad for Jimin being lonely or just wanted anyone to hang out with. He stops his thoughts forcefully too tired to think about it further. Jin and Suga are sitting on the couch cuddled up. They look at the food in Jungkook’s hands and perk up at the smell. Jin takes the food from Jungkook to place it on the table. The boys dig in and start joking around as they always did. Jimin loves spending time with the boys but he also gets drained being around people too much. He blames his introverted nature. It also doesn’t help that he feels disgusting from the activities today. Feeling dirty is a feeling he hated a lot. “I’m going to take a bath guys. Enjoy the food. I’ll eat after I’m done,” Jimin says. He hasn’t taken a bath in what feels like forever. He loves taking baths in the dark lit by candles all over the bathroom. It relaxes him and allows him to recharge. 

After an hour Jimin exits his bath feeling so zen and tranquil he almost forgot about how hungry he was. He puts on light pink pajama pants made of a similar material as silk. He likes how cute they are but like other loose fitting bottoms they emphasize his butt too much for his liking. He likes his curves but he doesn’t like bringing attention to it. He always felt embarrassed about his feminine body when it came to clothes. He secretly loved his butt but he would never admit that out loud or show it through his clothing choices. He has nothing else to wear so he settles on the pants and puts on a gray top that exposes a lot of his smooth chest and shoulders. He can’t be afraid of people looking at him all his life. Plus it was just Jungkook. He feels a scary level of comfortability with him that he’s never experienced before. He opens the door towards their side of the room and walks in quietly in case Jungkook is asleep. He looks in and sees Jungkook looking through his player information. He gives himself one more once over and walks out towards the bed. He walks quickly to his side of the bed far away from Jungkook. “Woah you must be super sleepy,” Jungkook laughs at the speed of Jimin’s arrival. Jimin hides his red tinged face and gives him a simple uh-huh in reply. Jimin sits up against the headboard and grabs the case of his eggs and puts it in his lap. Jimin softly caresses the outer shell of the eggs one by one. Jungkook looks over and smiles at the scene. “Your babies are gonna hatch any day now. I can feel it,” Jungkook says softly. Jimin smiles sheepishly. His babies. He likes the sound of that. He’s been feeling the energy surrounding the eggs buzzing over the last few days. He wonders how big they will be and how big they’ll get over time. He already has some names in mind but isn’t too sure yet. He’s very protective over them already and it scares him a little. He never thought he’d ever get a chance to be anything close to a parent but here he is now. He sees Jungkook staring at them in awe through his peripheral vision. “Would you like to hold one?” Jimin asks. Jungkook looks shocked but nods his head a few moments later. “If you don’t mind,” he says with his puppy dog eyes. Jimin feels oddly sensitive in this moment. He feels a soothing aura in the air. It’s a strange feeling, but a good strange. That pretty much sums up their connection he thinks. Jimin hands over the dark blue egg to Jungkook. He sees him grab it carefully and hold it in his lap over the blanket. “It’s so warm,” he says. “It’s pretty strange but I love them like my own children already,” Jimin replies. “Does that make me their stand in dad?” Jungkook says laughing. Jimin feels his ears get hot and giggles in response. Jungkook is such a kid. It’s very different from the always reserved and quiet Jimin. 

They both sit in silence with the eggs and the sound of waves crashing into the rocky shore. “Only answer if you’re comfortable. How old are you?” Jungkook asks breaking the comfortable silence. Jimin looks over and remembers how bad he is at keeping a conversation. He decides to try regardless. “I’m 18. My birthday is in January. How old are you? If you don’t mind of course,” he replies. “Same. My birthday is in October. Okay next question. What’s your favorite season?” Jungkook says keeping up the conversation. Jimin is surprised someone as cool and nice would want to talk to him, but he is the only one around so he doesn’t overthink it. “I really love Winter. It feels like the death of all the negative moments of the year. Sort of like a renewal,” he says. “Wow. I like your answer. Very thoughtful. Huh. If I had to choose it would probably be summer. I love hiking and nature in general.” Jimin figured he would be the outdoor type. He really is the complete opposite of him. Jimin yawns and covers his mouth quickly. He didn’t want to seem rude. “Ok I get it I’m too boring. I can take a hint,” Jungkook says in a teasing tone. “I’m so sorry I was enjoying the conversation. I hope I didn’t come off as rude. I apolo-“ he says before getting cut off by Jungkook. Jungkook places a hand on Jimin’s arm. “Hey, hey. It’s ok I was just playing. I didn’t mean to worry you,” Jungkook says with an encouraging smile. Jimin takes a deep breath and keeps his eyes down. He hates how he always rambles when his anxiety kicks in. It’s a bad habit that he can’t seem to get rid of. Jungkook hands the egg back to Jimin and he places it next to its siblings. “It’s pretty late we should go to sleep. We have to look for the entrance tomorrow,” Jungkook says. Jimin didn’t expect to go along with him tomorrow as well but he gets giddy at the subtle invitation. He falls asleep with the warm presence of Jungkook next to him and his children beside him. For now this is more than he can ask for. He feels lucky to have met people in the situation he’s in. Most of all he’s grateful for having someone as kind as Jungkook as his friend.


	3. Garden

Chapter 3: Garden 

Two days have passed since the small conversation he had with Jungkook that night. The past few days have been dedicated to searching for the entrance to floor 3, like the first day, two days ago. They eventually found it alongside a field of tall grass. It was as big as the first boss door. Jungkook was now level 11 and Jimin was level 7. Jungkook and the rest of the boys felt that it was safe enough to challenge the next boss. It has barely been a week and a half since the last boss battle and Jimin wasn’t too happy to be doing it again. He knows that progress means sacrifice but it doesn’t stop the fear he feels for losing anyone else. Especially one of the boys. It would damage a part of him and that petrified him. They have a permanent spot in his heart and rooted themselves there, but Jimin wouldn’t lie and say he disliked it. He forces himself to focus on getting ready for the errands he has to run today. He was going to get more groceries and stop at a local salon to see if he could change up his look. Misty no longer runs a boutique so he couldn’t go to her. He missed her bubbly personality. He should visit her soon, but they have been messaging each other somewhat frequently so the guilt subsides quickly. Even though on that day the creator forced real life avatars, it was possible to change other things such as hair color and eye color. He was excited to change his look. He has always viewed makeup, hair, and clothes as a way to show progress for oneself. Although, it was a bit anxiety inducing, because his dysphoric view of himself plagued him in these areas of his life. He has always worn gender neutral clothing and colors. However, he wanted to embrace his dominant femininity more ever since he first started high school. He always felt more comfortable with the girls in his school. He never would have guessed that it would be something that set him apart. When he was younger he never understood why people would create rigid boundaries on mannerisms and ways of speaking. His small frame, round face, and effeminate voice were always a cause of harassment for him. He never put serious thought into who he was at his core until last year. It was comforting to know he could define himself but it was equally, if not more, terrifying to actively think about it. As of a month ago before his entrapment he decided to be more honest with himself. Not knowing yourself is one of the most frightening feelings in the world. He hasn’t told anyone and probably won’t anytime soon. It made him feel a level of liberation that comforted his soul. Maybe that would change but for now that’s what he felt. Not feeling aligned with his physical self and soul was a lot to come to terms with, but he felt it was worth it. Therefore, he would try his hardest to engulf himself in his most authentic form. He would finally reflect his outer appearance to that which gave him comfort. 

Jimin is the last one to leave the house today. The boys left early to deal with their own errands on the first floor. He decided to not stay in today, which was a rare occurrence, and instead make a day for himself. He decides to walk to town and enter the only salon in the entire seaside city. He would try to get his appearance changed first then grocery shop at the local markets. So he leaves the house with an optimistic view of the day. Optimism and Jimin hardly occur in the same sentence, so he knows it can’t go wrong. He walks around the city enjoying the weather before he arrives at his destination. 

He walks in and hears a jingle of the bells alerting his entrance. He is greeted by a standard NPC that brings him into a salon chair. An interactive menu pops up in front of him. He scrolls down to hair color. He had put thought into the color he wanted but he’s stuck at a crossroads again. He wanted to go with a bold color. He hoped the color would enhance his chances of becoming the more confident person he wanted to be. He thinks for a couple of minutes scrolling along the color picker. He decides that whatever color he chooses will be dark instead of pastel. To keep a level of comfort he’s used to because of his natural dark hair. He chooses a dark, rich green. It’s similar to a shade of a healthy leaf or moss. He would be terrified of doing anything drastic to his look in the real world. However, he knows it’ll be a step in the right direction for his overall goal of self discovery. He clicks confirm and the NPC begins working. It’s only about a minute later that he sees himself in the mirror. The process time is almost nonexistent compared to real life and he’s grateful for it. He sits up in his chair and admires the new color. He feels good. The color brings an image of a stunning emerald being excavated from the earth to his mind. He pays the NPC and makes his way back out onto the street.

While leaving the shop he makes his way towards the busy marketplace for food. The past few days have changed the population of the second floor more than he would’ve thought. People were eager to leave the first floor and explore new areas. Those who were too afraid or comfortable stayed in the safe guarded areas of the first floor. He didn’t blame them at all. He is surprised that he even joined the first battle. It’s hard for him to compliment himself or notice his strengths, but he made a promise to help those who were afraid. He wanted to beat this game for the sake of those who couldn’t fight for themselves. He always valued the lives of others over his own. He would swap his life for another without a second thought. Maybe some people would call that crazy. He didn’t care too much about the opinions of others anymore. In middle school and early high school he was painfully shy and introverted to the point where his classmates forgot he existed. They would only acknowledge him when they needed help with classwork or homework. Looking back it was clear that he was being used, and he knew it but he let his weaker people-pleasing side take over. Even if it was horrible for those students to take advantage of him at least they were acknowledging his existence right? That’s how he felt. On top of the separation between his real dad and his mom being deeply traumatizing and the continued issues with his mom and stepdad. All of it made him cold and unable to believe in the good nature of humans. It still causes issues for him to this day, but he decides to ignore those thoughts. He has shopping to do. 

As he shops he feels uneasy. It’s a feeling he can’t pinpoint. He’s felt it ever since he entered the market. It’s close to the feeling of being watched. He knows his natural, detached aura, would prevent alerting the stalkers that he was on to them. He moved naturally as he finished his shopping. There were two options: stay until they leave him alone or walk home alone. He didn’t want whoever was stalking him to find his home. That would put the others in danger and he would never allow that. He also hates the idea of other people thinking they could scare him or have power over him. Therefore, he would bring them away from the marketplace and into an area away from his home. With that determination he starts walking out of the city as normal as possible to avoid suspicion. 

He walks towards a small garden that is covered by the city’s safe player area and on the outskirts of the marketplace. In these areas players are unable to be harmed enough to the point of death. Therefore, many of the players who were afraid to die stayed in these type of areas. He leans down and softly touches a bed of blue flowers. He knows someone followed him. He decides now is the time. He turns around and faces the trees along the dirt path. “If you have something to say speak now,” he says in a calm and cold tone. At first Jimin couldn’t detect any movement. A few moments later two people walk towards his direction emerging from the shadows of the trees that engulfed them. One is a taller boy with caramel brown hair that’s shaved on the sides and slightly longer on the top. The other is a girl who’s height matches the tall boy. Her hair is long and braided to the right long enough to fall elbow length. It’s a deep blue color. Jimin notices that they wear black and gold armor that has a golden rose emblems carved into the chest plate. It doesn’t look like the armor of a high ranking official but it isn’t simple enough for a low ranked rookie. The boy’s face has a look of worry while the girl’s is more stoic. Jimin isn’t necessarily off-put by them but he doesn’t know why they followed him all the way here. The boy fidgets and wrings his hands while speaking. “We apologize for following you all this way. My name is Namjoon. This is Cressia. We belong to the guild, Aphroseph. We were sent by our higher ups to speak with you,” The boy, Namjoon states. Jimin feels slightly more at ease. They seem to have no malice towards him, but he’s still confused. The girl steps forward. “We are here to request your services to our guild. We are one of the largest growing guilds and in need of players of your skill level and class. Your rank in the support class is fairly high among the universal leaderboard. You are among the select few who have experience fighting a boss. We believe that your integration into our guild will be greatly needed to further our reputation and strength,” Cressia explains. Jimin takes a moment to process the information. He knew that guilds existed and only few were extremely popular. Aphroseph is one of those guilds if he remembers correctly. “I’m honored to be on the list of potential recruitment, but I have no interest in joining a guild as of now. I’m sorry,” he replies in a polite tone. Namjoon and Cressia look at each other with a concerned expression. They turn back and bow. “Please think about the benefits of joining a guild. Never hesitate to join us if you need a group of players to help support you. The invitation is always open,” Namjoon says. After his statement they’re both covered in a soft blue light and they vanish. He figures they teleported back to their base of operations. Jimin finally releases the breath he was holding. Confrontation and speaking to others in general always took a lot out of him. He takes one last look around the mesmerizing garden then decides to head home. 

He gets home and places the groceries on the kitchen counter. He walks to his room and grabs the box of his Dragon eggs. He sets them on the higher counter and looks at them with adoration. He knows they’ll hatch soon and the anticipation is killing him. He takes the ingredients out and starts cooking. He wants to have dinner ready for the boys before they arrive home. 

Around thirty minutes later the sound of the front door opening and familiar voices flood the house. Jimin smiles at the laughter he hears. Jin has his arm around Suga and they look longingly at each other. He’s happy they can express their love in front of him without worry. He found out later that Jungkook is a real life friend of Jin’s and knew about the relationship already. Speaking of Jungkook. He walks in slightly behind them with his familiar smile. Jungkook walks up to the counter where his Dragons lay and looks at Jimin with what seems like an expression seeking permission. He figures Jungkook wants to touch them and he doesn’t mind so he gives him a small nod. It makes him feel strangely comfortable knowing his soon to be babies, human or not, have someone other than himself that cares for them. “Mm smells delicious. Thank you for cooking by the way. I’ll cook anytime you don’t want to. Just say the word,” Jungkook says. Jimin just smiles and nods knowing Jungkook is worrying about nothing. It would be silly to let the boys cook. His cooking skill level has risen with each meal so it’s a lot easier and faster to cook in the virtual world. 

He sets down the plates for the boys and laughs at their facial expression. They must be extremely hungry. “Thank you Jimin! I’m starving and I love fish!” Jin says in a breathy voice. Jimin simply nods and grabs the last two plates for Jungkook and himself. “Thank you,” Jungkook says with a smile that reaches his eyes. Jimin looks away quickly and gives him a nod of confirmation. 

Jimin eats in silence as they normally do with Jungkook and Jin dominating the conversations. He didn’t mind at all. They were hilarious and Jimin wasn’t much of a talker. Neither was Suga. Jimin thinks back to the strange encounter he had earlier that day. He debates telling the boys but he doesn’t want to interrupt them. Plus he doesn’t think it warrants a conversation. His mind then takes a anxious turn. He knows they have been staying together but how long will that last? He knows everything must come to an end but it’s making him unexpectedly upset that he could be on his own again. It’s not something he’s not used to but this is the first time he’s had any sort of connection with other people besides his brother and mother. “... don’t you think so, Jimin?” He snaps out his daze to face Jin. “I’m sorry can you say that again?” Jimin replies, embarrassed. Jin laughs. “I said are you ready for the second floor boss fight? We plan to do it tomorrow. We have confirmed players that have already pledged to help.” Oh right. Jimin knew they planned to fight tomorrow but today’s events distracted him. “Oh yes I’m ready. What time are we meeting with the other players?” “We plan to meet together at noon in order to get acquainted with the other players and groups. It also gives us time to plan out our attack,” Jin says. Jimin nods and finishes his food. He knows it’s gonna be an important day. 

After dinner they all split to their respective rooms. Jimin makes sure to grab the eggs from the counter and move them to their regular place in their room. Jimin goes to the bathroom to change into his pajamas. He washes his face and brushes his teeth. He exits the bathroom and lays on his side of the bed. “Hey Jimin,” he hears Jungkook say with a nervous undertone. “Is everything ok, Jungkook?” Jungkook looks at him. “It’s pretty hot at night and I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. So, if it’s ok is it alright if I only sleep in my... b-boxers? I-If that’s ok with you?” Jimin takes a moment to process the question then feels himself get extremely hot. He feels his face burning. He can’t bring himself to speak so he slowly nods then turns around. He feels Jungkook get up to undress and scoots as far as he can towards the edge of his side. Jungkook lays down. Jimin knows it’ll take a little longer to sleep with Jungkook in the same bed in the state of undress that he’s in comfortably. 

“Sorry if you’re almost asleep, but I want to let you know that I plan to protect you tomorrow as much as I can. You’re very important to the team like I said before. I already spoke to Jin and Suga. They agree that I should stay closer to you this time around. What do you think?” Jungkook says. Jimin hates that people feel the need to protect to him. He knows that there will be more support players helping tomorrow. Therefore, he wants to guarantee their lives over his. Jimin speaks in a soothing yet straightforward tone. “I appreciate that Jungkook but please promise me something,” Jimin says. Jungkook looks towards Jimin who still has his back to him. “Promise to never put your life above mine. Use your strength to ensure the other support players are protected.” Jungkook immediately speaks up. “Jimin... I,” Jimin tunes around at his voice. Jungkook is met with a clear look into Jimin’s eyes for the first time. He sees a powerful emotion in the honey brown orbs. It takes his breath away. “Please, Jungkook...” Jimin pleads softly. Jungkook has never felt impacted by another person as profoundly before. Before Jungkook can think he replies with a nod. He sees the worry in Jimin’s eyes dissipate slowly. Then Jimin turns around. “Goodnight Jimin.” “Goodnight Jungkook.” 

Jimin awakens before Jungkook. He gets up slowly and travels to the bathroom to get ready. After getting ready he comes out to see Jungkook waiting for him to finish. Jimin walks out and gives him a small smile while passing him. When he hears the bathroom door shut he opens his player menu. He double checks his supplies to ensure he has all that he needs. He has enough spell energy enhancers and his arrow count is stocked with more than he thinks he’ll need. After spending time with his children he gently places them on the side table. Jungkook walks out ready to start the day. “I think we should warm up our skills before the boss fight today. Did you want to join me?” Jungkook says. Jimin doesn’t want to deplete too much of his energy on training but he knows it’s important to warmup. “Sure,” he replies. Jungkook nods and they head out of the house. 

Jimin feels an uneasy static in the air between them. He knows it’s from their short exchange from last night. Jimin wishes Jungkook didn’t feel the need to protect him. He felt bad for being so aggressive when it came to telling Jungkook to stop feeling that way, but he didn’t need Jungkook to get hurt because of him. If only Jungkook knew how little Jimin cared about his own life. He’s going out of his way to help clear the game for others not himself. Sure Tae and his mom would miss him if something horrible happened but they would move on. He wasn’t worth saving especially if it came at the cost of another’s life. Why didn’t Jungkook get that? Why is Jungkook so adamant on protecting him? He was a support player, sure, but couldn’t he just be replaced if he died? It all gave Jimin a headache just thinking about it so he stops himself. Thankfully they arrive at their destination: an empty field in the middle of the forest. Jungkook stops and turns around facing Jimin. Jungkook looks at the shorter boy. “I want you to try to shoot me with your arrows.” He says. Jimin looks at him like he’s lost his mind. “Jungkook I’m not doing that. I could hurt you,” Jimin replies. Jungkook gives a small laugh. “No worries. We can set a duel with parameters to make sure neither of us drop to zero. I want to practice my dodging skills and you’re really good at shooting,” Jungkook explains. Jimin doesn’t like the idea of hurting him at all. However, Jungkook has a fiery look in his eyes and he doesn’t want to upset him. “Fine, but if it gets too dangerous even with the rule set I’ll stop.” “That’s fine by me,” Jungkook says. Jimin takes a deep breath and equips his bow and arrows. He sets one up ready to shoot. He looks at Jungkook and waits for confirmation. Jungkook equips his sword and rolls his shoulders back. Jungkook closes his eyes and takes a deep breath as well. He opens his eyes and nods towards Jimin. Jimin is still against this reckless idea, but he brings the bow up to eye level ready to shoot. He pulls back and releases the first arrow at Jungkook. 

Jungkook barely dodges the shot. Jimin isn’t aiming as well as he could but he can’t help it. He fires another arrow and Jungkook rolls to dodge it. “Come on Jimin I know you’re holding back. Please don’t. It won’t help either one of us!” Jungkook yells across the field. Jimin sighs. He knows Jungkook is right. Jimin closes his eyes and forces himself to get rid of all hesitation. Shutting down his emotions and becoming cold and calculating is easy for him. Almost too easy. Sometimes it scares even himself. Jimin’s eyes shift from worry to emotionless. He pulls back the arrow and fires it at Jungkook. This time it zooms past Jungkook and scrapes his right leg. Jungkook winces but smiles at the fact that Jimin listened to his request. Jungkook dodges two more arrows that are closer than he would have liked to admit. He takes a quick glance at Jimin that causes shivers. The look in Jimin’s eyes is one Jungkook has never seen before. It’s a combination of mesmerizing beauty and death. It reminds him of a beautiful flower with a toxin strong enough to kill. An arrow flies directly towards him and he knows he won’t be able to dodge it. His sword glows red and he deflects the arrow before it could hit him in the chest. He isn’t quick enough to dodge the next one. It pierces right through his leg. Jungkook lets out a groan of pain and falls to his knees. “Jungkook!” Jimin flies towards him and kneels down next to the leg with the arrow in it. Jimin’s mind is working overtime. Why did he agree to this? It was a dumb idea. He’s so stupid. Jimin pulls the arrow out with shaky hands and begins chanting his healing spell. He immediately presses down and holds the afflicted area with pressure. “Jimin. Jimin!” Jungkook says louder the second time. It isn’t working. Jimin is shaking profusely and isn’t listening. Jungkook doesn’t feel any pain anymore so he grabs Jimin’s hands into his. “Jimin I’m fine. Please look at me.” Jimin looks up to Jungkook’s and he stares until he’s calm. “I’m sorry Jungkook I didn’t think It would actually hit you. Please tell me you’re ok?” Jimin says with a shaky voice. “Yes Jimin I’m fine please calm down. I asked for this training don’t feel bad. You were just doing what I asked you to do.” Jungkook sees Jimin physically relax. “I’m sorry for freaking out. I’m fine now.” Jungkook realized that he still has Jimin’s hands in his. He slowly releases them. Jimin clasps his hands together and tries to keep his embarrassment from reaching his face. Jungkook stands up and holds his hands out for Jimin. Jimin takes them and is slowly lifted from the ground. Both of them put their weapons away. “We should head back it’s almost time for the meeting,” Jungkook says. Jungkook walks towards the city with a quiet Jimin behind him. 

When they arrive at the fountain in the city square there are players already there. “Over here guys!” Jin yells. He and Suga arrived before them. “Well everyone is here. We were just waiting for you guys.” “Sorry we were getting in some last minute training in,” Jungkook replies. Jin nods and continues. “Well there are two other groups of players here to help with the boss fight. Some players from a newly formed guild and some consisting of players who helped us with the first boss. The other guild however...” Jin trails off looking at the other guild. Jimin doesn’t believe what he sees. Namjoon and Cressia. Along with a few other soldiers in basic armor behind them. They both make eye contact with Jimin before walking towards him. “Hello Jimin. Have you thought about our request ever since our last meeting?” Jimin is slightly annoyed at the inconvenience, but he keeps his usual calm tone. “No, Namjoon I have not.” Both Cressia and Namjoon look visibly annoyed. If only they knew how similar he felt towards them. The boys look at each other then at the knight. “Is there a problem here?” Jin asks. Suga places a hand on Jin’s shoulder that forces him to calm down. Jimin feels terrible for putting them in this situation. “There is no problem. I suggest you take a few steps back,” Cressia says in a combative tone. “There must be a misunderstanding. We don’t want any trouble. We are going to be fighting together soon so let’s not cause any issues now,” Jungkook interjects while stepping between the two. Jungkook isn’t sure what’s going on but gives Jimin a look that means they’ll need to talk about this at some point. “I assume you are Jeon Jungkook, one of the top five players on the leaderboard. Your popularity has spread throughout the playerbase. People say you’re apart of the “brave warriors” that helped clear the first boss. The average player base idolize you, and the other players who were apart of the battle, as saviors,” Namjoon says. Saviors? Them? Jimin had no idea they had any sort of popularity but he does see where it would come from. It never occurred to him that what he was doing was a brave act to gain him popularity. It was just the right thing to do. “I assume you’re the leader of this group, then?” Cressia asks Jungkook. Jungkook looks surprised. “He is our leader. Now can we please get to the point of this meeting. We have a boss to kill,” Suga says in an annoyed tone. Jimin, Jin, and Jungkook are surprised at the sudden statement. Jungkook would never consider himself the “leader” of their small group, but would have to be now. Jimin and Jin didn’t interject so that’s what it is, Jungkook thinks to himself. Jungkook would make sure to talk to them about that later. 

Cressia and Namjoon nod. Jungkook calls the meeting to order. All three guilds gather in a circle. Cressia and Namjoon step forward to represent their guild. Jin and Jungkook step forward for their small group. Finally, the last guild send one person to represent them forward. Jimin takes a closer look at the guild. They wear black and purple robes that give them a distinct look. Their cloaks are shaggy and look unkempt. Their boots are outlined in a deep royal purple. There seems to be a mystery that surrounds the group. The one person who is sent forward is a tall man with chains that enhance the clothing he wears similar to the rest of his guild. He seems to be the only one that stands out from the rest in terms of clothing. Jimin assumes he is the sole leader of the group. The man has a very close shaven haircut with a long beard. His eyes are a dark purple and his left ear is studded with black ear piercings. Overall, he looks very intimidating. Jimin isn’t one to judge too quickly or unfairly but the uneasy feeling he gets is too strong to ignore. He wants to keep a close eye on them for now. The leader steps forward. His voice is dark and raspy. “I am Osiris. Leader of the guild: Glaebi. We are here to secure our positions as dominant players in this world. We will help enough to pass this floor. No more, no less.” Cressia and Namjoon nod in his direction. Jin nods as well. Suga stares but does not acknowledge Osiris. Jimin does the same as Suga. Jungkook speaks. “That is understandable. All players here, regardless of guild, are now one unit moving towards one goal. We may be temporary allies, but we are still allies nonetheless. We shall discuss our battle plan now that formalities are over.” Jimin cannot contain his shocked facial expression. He didn’t expect the shift Jungkook just underwent. All the guild leaders along with Jimin, Suga, and Jin follow Jungkook to a stone table in the courtyard. They all sit around the circular table and begin planning. 

The meeting took approximately one hour. With the amount of guilds it was important to gain the input of all guild leaders. The first battle plan meeting for the first boss was faster and more efficient. However, they only fought under one leader that day: Deangelo. Jimin ignores the pain that rises to his eyes. It was still much too soon to relive. He prayed to whatever higher power exists that today would not be one of bloodshed.

Jimin moves through the familiar path he took with Jungkook when they first found the entrance. He needed to focus. He thinks back to the plans to ensure he was on the same page as everyone else. Jimin, under suggestion of Jungkook, was to be seated towards the back of the armed forces. Jimin would play a similar position as he did the first battle. However, Jungkook remembered that Jimin’s position left him vulnerable. Therefore, Suga would be tasked with being his personal protector. Jimin wanted to burst out with an objection but he didn’t want to question Jungkook in front of the other representatives. He didn’t want to ruin the traction Jungkook was gaining as their unofficial leader. It still made Jimin uncomfortable but he knew he would never convince Jungkook or Suga to leave him unguarded. Jungkook wanted to be closer to him but went against it in favor of making the other leaders content. They agreed that having someone as strong as Jungkook in the front lines was the smarter play. Overall, the plan was similar to that of the first boss. Although it would need to change when the bosses unique attacks were shown. They agreed to have Osiris’ forces to be behind the frontline which consisted of Aphroseph soldiers. Jin and Jungkook would be helping in the frontline. Jimin would be at the very back healing and providing cover fire. There were only two other Support players. One under the command of Osiris and one under the Aphroseph guild. Only three healers. It was better than being the only healer but it wouldn’t hurt to have more. It’s the best they could do. Jimin takes a deep breath as he continues walking. He sees the door. They’re almost there. 

When they arrive at the gigantic entrance Jungkook gives a final summary of the formation. After that a quiet engulfs all players. This was the time. Jungkook gives Jimin a look of confirmation and Jimin nods back in response. Jungkook turns around and begins pushing the door open slowly. 

The allied players walk in slowly. Once Jimin and the other healers are fully in the room the door slams shut. They quickly tighten their formation. Jimin holds his bow up and prepares to attack. Everyone does the same. No movement. The room is eerily silent. Jimin notices that the room is filled with unique foliage. There are trees and plants that he’s never seen before covering the room top to bottom. The only light sources are the torches that are scattered throughout the room. The huge room is setup similarly to the first boss setting. Jungkook pushes forward slowly and the rest of the forces follow. They are now in the middle of the room. Jimin continues to look around. Then he sees it. The foliage isn’t still. It’s moving slowly. The room is alive. Before Jimin can give a callout a vine shoots out of the direction of the wall and pierces a soldier next to him. The soldier’s life points take a huge hit. “Form a circle around the healers!” Jungkook yells. Jimin acts on instinct and brings the head of the collapsed soldier on his legs. He beings healing the surrounding wound. The life points aren’t going up. His healing isn’t working. Jimin panics. He looks up at the life point indicator and sees a purple skull. Poison. “Don’t get hit! If you take a hit from the boss you’ll get affected with a poison ailment!” Jimin yells as loud as he can. It spreads and soon every player is informed. “I’m sorry I don’t know your names but please take her and heal as much as you can until the poison subsides. Do not stop. If you do she will die.” Jimin tells the other two healers. They nod and continue their healing. Jimin stands up quickly to eye for another attack. He prepares an arrow. Soon after multiple vines embellished with thorns strike into their defenses. Some vines ricochet off of shields and armor. Before one of them reaches a soldier next to him his arrow stops the attack. He hears a shriek emerge from somewhere in the room. The boss. They haven’t seen it outright but these attacks are definitely from the boss of this room. It hasn’t made an appearance but how can they defeat the source if they can’t see it? “Jimin another fallen soldier!” Jimin turns around and begins healing. Another poison effect. If this keeps up there won’t be enough healing done to stop a life-eating poison from taking the lives of many. He hopes the injured come few and far between. 

Jungkook slashes another vine. The attacks are hard to read. The room is dimly lit and the source of the attacks aren’t clear. They need to find the boss’ source of energy or body to kill it. He didn’t think he would need to use that skill but he doesn’t have a choice. Jungkook holds his obsidian colored sword in front of him. “Fire Element: Minor Combustion.” A shimmer of yellow light encapsulates the sword and a flame surrounds the blade. The flame isn’t too strong because the skill is only a low level version. However it is enough to light the surrounding area better than before. A vine attempts to pierce him but he cuts it in half before it makes contact. Another shriek. He listens to the faint shrieks before catching on. He looks up and points his sword toward one corner of the room. There it is. A gigantic violet colored plant bulb sits high in the corner. Surrounding it are countless vines. Jungkook has to find a way to kill the boss from such a long range. There’s no way his close combat fighting style would even get near it for an attack. Jungkook turns around and sees Jimin. That’s the way. 

Jimin is getting increasingly anxious as the fight draws out. They need a plan. Fast. He’s alternating healing between multiple soldiers trying to keep their life points up high enough. He’s sweating profusely and can’t think straight. He isn’t entirely sure what’s happening, but he desperately hopes Jungkook found a solution. He feels bad for putting so much weight on Jungkook, but he knows if anyone can get them out of this situation it would be him. Just as he finishes that thought a bright light comes towards him. Jungkook. His sword is glowing with a golden fire. Jimin would be in awe if they were in such a bad situation. “Jimin! I found a way to defeat the boss! It requires us to work together. Are you ready?” Jungkook asks. His help? What could he possibly do to help? “I have no ranged attacks. I need you to fire an arrow in that direction. That’s where the boss is,” he explains. Jimin doesn’t know why he’s willing to trust Jungkook so easily, but he gets up right away. “Keep healing! I’ll be back as fast as possible.” Jimin says to the other healers. Jimin grabs Jungkook’s hand for stability. 

“Ok. I’ve never tried this before but it’s all I have right now. Before you fire your arrow I’m going to cast a spell on it. You’re a Water Element player, so I’m not sure how our spells will work together. Are you ready?” Jungkook asks. Jimin nods. Jimin grabs an arrow and pulls it back on his bow. Jimin feels a small pressure behind him and sees Jungkook’s hands wrap around his from behind. Jimin ignores anything that isn’t him and Jungkook. The room is silent to him now. He can hear Jungkook’s labored breathing. Jimin hears Jungkook exclaim a chant. In almost a whisper Jungkook says “fire.” Jimin releases the arrow and everything goes slow. The arrow launches towards the corner of the room. It soars and halfway to its desired location it glows a beautiful red. The arrow ignites in a blaze of glory. It’s almost strong enough to illuminate the entire room. Jimin stares at it in awe. In a moment the arrow reaches its target. It pierces the boss and it falls to the floor engulfed in flames. Before Jimin can process what’s happening Osiris rushes over to the boss. Osiris strikes a finishing blow with his large axe. Congratulations! You have cleared floor 2! The boss breaks apart in shards that dissolve into the air. The foliage retreats and the hall is illuminated by bright lights. They did it. Jimin turns around and makes eye contact with Jungkook. Jimin feels lost in the dark mocha eyes. He can’t look away even though everything in his being tells him to. The moment is cut short when he hears a loud cry. 

“No!” 

Jimin snaps away from his trance and looks past Jungkook. He sees the same fragments, but this time from a fallen soldier. Jimin rushes over and grasps at the fragments wishing they could be put back together. Another player lost. The shout came from a healer who couldn’t save a soldier. Jimin looks at the girl and feels immense sorrow. She was just like him on the first floor. Angry and sad for not being able to save someone. Jimin leans down on his knees and comforts the sobbing girl. Jungkook walks over to them enveloping them both in a soft hug. The gesture makes Jimin feel much better and secure. “Well that was interesting. I do believe it’s time for us to make our leave.” Jimin and Jungkook look towards the dark voice. Osiris has gained the most rewards for landing the killing blow on the boss. Jimin knew his cautious attitude was justified. Jungkook did most of the work and even conjured up their winning plan. Yet, Osiris gained the most from their situation. Jimin was more than annoyed. “That’s fine by us,” Jungkook says in a steely tone. Jimin can sense the aggravation in his tone. Osiris smirks and heads towards floor 3. “It was nice working with you all. Let’s do it again sometime,” Osiris says. Jimin will never come close to that man again if he can help it. “We should get out of here, Jimin. You need rest,” Jungkook says in a softer tone. Jimin gives Jungkook a tired smile and checks on the healer. She’s no longer crying. “Are you ready to go? We should get you back quickly. It isn’t safe here,” Jimin says to her in a caring tone. The girl nods and they all enter floor 3. 

Gigantic. That’s the word that comes to him when he sees the giant mountains in the distance. The expansive amber plains are full of tall patches of honey colored grass. It’s breathtaking. Jimin glances over at Jungkook and sees a similar expression of awe. Jimin gets lost at the sight and is caught staring by Jungkook himself. He quickly looks away and stares at a random mountaintop. “Good work In there. I’m proud of you,” Jungkook says. Jimin’s mind short circuits and he’s at a loss for words. He hated compliments. Jimin settles for something simple. “Thank you, Jungkook.” Jungkook smiles at him and Jimin is afraid at the emotions it stirs within him. “God, I’m so tired! Let’s look for our new home!” Jin says from behind them. Jin punches Jungkook in his shoulder to get his attention. “Ow. What was that for? You little shit,” Jungkook replies while rubbing his arm and teasing Jin at the same time. They both laugh. “They’re such goofy idiots, I swear,” Suga says while softly smiling. Jimin replies in a small laugh while covering his mouth with his hand. The fight went smoother than expected, but Jimin was exhausted. All he wanted to do was sleep. He yawns and covers his mouth to prevent the others from seeing his tired state. Jungkook notices, however. “Yeah let’s find where we’ll be staying, everyone. I’m sure you guys are exhausted,” Jungkook says. 

They arrive a few minutes later at a log cabin near a dazzling blue lake. The sun reflects off of the water and creates a stunning view. The cabin was affordable for all of them to contribute to. They decided to change the floor plan and add one more room. It was a small up charge, but it was necessary. Jimin would be sharing a room with Jungkook again. He didn’t mind. The room was setup similarly to their last place: one bed. Jimin hoped he wasn’t a burden to Jungkook in that way. He was sure Jungkook would have preferred his own bed. Jimin, too sleepy to overthink, takes out the Dragon eggs from his inventory. He sets the box on his lap. He opens the box and marvels at the contents. His eggs were slightly glowing. Jungkook stopped what he was doing to sit next to Jimin on the bed. “Wow. They’re beautiful,” Jungkook says. Jimin reaches forward and grabs the golden egg in the middle. He holds it in both hands. It’s very hot. “Woah, Jimin are you ok? I feel the heat from here,” Jungkook asks worried. Jimin knew it was warm, but apparently it was much hotter than what he felt. Jimin was about to set the egg down before he feels a soft tremble. Jimin freezes. It’s happening. They’re about to hatch. “Jungkook, hurry they’re about to hatch! I can only hold two but I want them to feel secure when they hatch. Can you please hold one?” Jungkook immediately reaches for the dark blue egg while Jimin carefully grabs the last dark green egg. They stare at the eggs for what seems like eternity. Then it happens. The eggs start to crack slowly. The breaking of the shells create a sharp crackling sound. The eggs stop moving. Jimin doesn’t dare move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave comments if you’re interested in more. I’m sorry for the late update, but life has been insane and I have to be in a very particular mood to write lol. Thank you to anyone who has liked or gave kudos! Even one person enjoying my story is enough.


	4. No Angel

Chapter 4: No Angel

A few moments later a small claw appears from the cracked egg. The others follow suit short after. A small pink wing emerges from its confines and Jimin gasps. Another small head emerges from the second egg. Jimin feels something wet on his face. He didn’t even notice. He’s crying. A dark blue dragon head emerges from the egg Jungkook is holding. “J-Jimin... do you see this?!” Jungkook asks in a whisper yell. Jimin laughs at the incredulous expression. This is a virtual world but it never fails to feel unbelievably real. Jimin takes time soaking in every moment in front of him. The dark blue baby dragon licks Jungkook’s face and sniffs him. They both watch in wonder. The other two baby dragons make their way to Jimin and cuddle up in his lap. Jimin reaches down slowly to pet their small heads. The dragon in Jungkook’s lap finally makes its way to join its siblings in Jimin’s lap. Jimin stares lovingly at them. Dragons. His children. The words replay in his mind. He softly pets them as they sleep curled in on each other. They’re beautiful. Jimin begins silently crying again. Jungkook hands Jimin a small towelette to wipe his tears. Jimin thanks him. 

After a few moments of silence Jungkook breaks it in a quiet voice. “Have you thought of their names, yet?” Jimin has been thinking of what to name them ever since he received them. He had an idea of what they could be. “I liked the name Gladirys and Venapri,” Jimin says quietly. The rich purple and deep green dragon would be called Gladirys after his mother’s favorite flower: a Gladiolus. The pink and gold dragon was to be named Venapri. Venus was one of Jimin’s favorite planets and was the main influence for the name. The last Dragon was one Jimin wasn’t sure of. The dark blue and orange combination was gorgeous, but nothing immediately came to Jimin’s mind. Jimin looks back at Jungkook and feels a strange emotion whirl inside of him. “Would you like to name this one, Jungkook?” Jimin asks with a sweet smile. Jungkook looks surprised. “No way, Jimin. I couldn’t name one of your children for you. It wouldn’t feel right,” he replies. Jimin does something he normally despises. Physical touch. He softly grabs Jungkook’s hand and places it softly on the small blue dragon. Jungkook looks at Jimin with a powerful expression. Jimin can only look at Jungkook’s eyes for a few seconds before he has to look away. “It’s ok Jungkook. I insist. Unless you’re truly against it. Whatever you choose is ok with me.” Jimin says. Jungkook looks down at the vulnerable creature. There’s a moment of silence before he speaks. “What about Sabireon? It’s inspired by the scientific name of an Iris. The dragon is a deep blue and I think it fits well. Sorry if it’s cheesy,” Jungkook says looking worried. Jimin smiles in return to ease his nerves. “That’s beautiful Jungkook. I like it. Sabireon it is. Venapri, Gladirys, and Sabireon.” Jimin grabs them carefully to the center of the bed and pulls a small extra blanket over them. He still needed to shower and get ready for bed. Today was one of the most draining days of his life. Jimin excuses himself and asks if Jungkook would stay with them until he was done with his quick shower. Jungkook agrees. Jimin heads to the bathroom to finally de stress. 

When Jimin exits the bathroom from his shower he is stopped by a surprising scene. Jungkook is asleep with one arm around his dragons. Jimin feels a quick surge of emotions that he’s never felt before. He’s been way more sensitive than normal. Jimin slowly makes his way to the other side of the bed and lays down as quietly as possible. He watches the slow rise and fall of Jungkook’s chest. The steady breathing of his dragons. This would forever be ingrained his memory. He’s never felt so calm and safe at the same time. Something about Jungkook makes him feel warm inside. Jungkook has managed to bring small actions out of Jimin that he never knew existed. Jimin was used to be being alone or nothing more than an asset for others to take advantage of. Jungkook never made him feel like that. It was the opposite. Jungkook created a safe atmosphere that felt welcoming. Jimin knew Jungkook was becoming someone he cared about each passing day. It was dangerous. Jimin knew trusting anyone so quickly was a dumb decision. He can attest to it from personal experience. He would have to keep his distance from Jungkook more. If only Jungkook knew the real Jimin. He’s sure that Jungkook would abandon him. The real Jimin was pessimistic, skeptical, and cold. There’s no way anyone could tolerate that. Jimin hated himself most of the time. Why would anyone else feel anything more than what he felt of himself? Jimin begins to fall asleep to his thoughts. Today was more than enough to wear him out. He’s out in seconds. 

Jimin awakens to soft scratching at his nose. He opens his eyes and sees Gladirys directly in front of his face. He sits up quickly. He can’t believe he left them up alone without his supervision. Being a parent is something he never thought was in the realm of possibilities for him. He looks around and sees Jungkook asleep. Jimin usually wakes up earlier than this. He sees Sabireon asleep at the foot of the bed next to Jungkook. Venapri is cuddled next to his stomach fast asleep. Gladirys is the only one awake. Jimin strokes the small dragon’s wings. The dragon rubs its wings closer to Jimin’s hand loving the attention. Jimin smiles at them. He was about to call them a pronoun but thought about something interesting. Jimin figured dragons didn’t have a sex. He double checks this by checking their indicator above their heads. So they don’t have a sex. Among being sexless they also have health points and a growth meter. He assumed they would grow larger, but how large was the question. They each also had a water droplet symbol similar to his own next to their name. It had to be because Jimin was a water elemental user. He assumed traits were similar to the owner. He wondered how this would play out as they grew older. Jimin’s only hope was that they would grow strong enough to protect themselves. Jimin knows he would give up his life for them if need be. Digital or not there was a strong inexplainable bond he had with them. Some people may view that as extreme or even absurd, but Jimin wouldn’t mind. He never expected anyone to understand it. He turns his head towards Sabireon. They are awake and looking at Jungkook expectedly. Sabireon slowly walks over to Jungkook’s face and leaps on it. Jungkook awakens with a startled scream. Jimin laughs at the interaction. Jungkook sits up quickly. He grabs Sabireon from his face before they fall. Jungkook’s half-asleep face is comical. Jimin sighs in relief. “Hey what the hell is going on in there?” Jimin hears from the hallway before Jin and Suga barge in. They both have a concerned expression that eventually turns into pure shock. Even Suga has an uncharacteristically surprised look on his face. They both stop at the doorway in awe. “You guys can come look if you want,” Jimin says in a sweet tone. Jin nods his head and grabs Suga’s hand as they sit on the side of the bed. Venapri is awake now and walks over closer to Jimin clearly uncomfortable at the new presence. Jimin grabs Venapri instinctively and tries to call them down. Gladirys, on the other hand, is eager to inspect the duo. Jin slowly holds a hand out and is surprised by how quickly Gladirys plays with his hand. They were definitely more outgoing than their siblings. Sabireon stays close to Jungkook but sniffs around Suga. Gladirys eventually plays with both Jin and Suga for what seems like a while. “They’re amazing Jimin. When did they hatch and how?” Jin asks. Jimin explains the sudden hatching and is more confused himself. He wonders what finally caused it. He didn’t do anything special now that he thinks about it. After a while they all unanimously decide Jimin should spend a couple days getting acclimated to their new tiny friends. Suga offers to cook for them instead while Jimin stays with his children. 

After Jin and Suga left the room Jimin felt more awkward with just him and Jungkook. Jimin feels too comfortable in Jungkook’s presence. He knows Jungkook is a kind hearted person and didn’t want to ruin any aspect of it with his shitty past or personality. Jimin was also scared of how Jungkook made him feel. It was a strange surge of emotions sometimes and other times the world melted away in his presence. Therefore, he would have to slowly ease his closeness with the boy. It hurt him immensely even thinking of it but knew it would be worth it.

Jungkook stayed with him all day looking over his player info device. Jimin did the same analyzing his stats to keep him distracted. The dragons stayed asleep for long periods of time. He assumes it’s because they’re babies still and lack energy. They’re very similar to human children he observed. He turns back to his interactive player menu. He pulls up the leaderboard. Jimin was now rank 12 on the global leaderboard. It was strange to be so far up but he was sure it would change soon. He looked at the top three spots. Rank 1 was currently held by Jungkook. Rank 2 was Osiris. Jimin furrows his eyebrows thinking of the man. Rank 3 was a foreign name in a different language. He was sure he’s never seen that name before. Rank 7 was Jin followed by Suga at rank 9. While Jimin didn’t care about his own rank, he was happy to see his teammates in high ranks. He looks over his spell list and sees his player level. He’s now level 15. In one level he gains a new spell. The icon is greyed out and under a lock symbol for now. All he can make out is that it looks like a big sphere. He looks under his name and smiles. Three smaller health bars now reside there with each of his children’s names. Jungkook stretches his arms above his head and yawns loudly. “Is everything ok, Jimin? How are you feeling?” Jungkook asks. Jimin looks over at the boy with bed-head. “I’m feeling ok. Thank you for asking,” Jimin replies. “Hey Jimin can I ask you a question?” Jimin looks up from petting Venapri and gives Jungkook his undivided attention. Jungkook runs his hand through his messy hair. “Would you like to be my duo partner from now on?” Jimin hides his shock behind a blank expression. Jungkook stares at his direction but he seems to be anxious. Jimin should probably answer him. He knows his resting expression is his bitch face. He knows this will only create a stronger bond that’ll ultimately be too close for comfort. But, he couldn’t say no to Jungkook. He’s been nothing but kind and understanding. His presence makes Jimin feel safe and cared for. So, he decides to dig himself deeper into the world that is Jungkook. “Sure, Jungkook. Thank you for asking,” he replies not making eye contact. Jungkook let’s out a laugh that’s filled with relief. Jimin smiles at him. “Great! Let me send you the request. We can make an official guild with Jin and Suga after we become a two person party.” Jimin receives a notification a few seconds after Jungkook sends the request. Join Jungkook’s party? Jimin looks at the checkmark with trepidation. He clicks it. Successfully joined Jungkook’s party! Current members: (2). Jimin sees Jungkook’s name under his in his player HUD. “Alright. Well Jin and Suga partied up together when they first entered the game. So, I’ll let them know we’re a duo now. We should come up with a guild name soon,” Jungkook says with a big grin. 

Jungkook left to go hang out in the living room with Jin and Suga a while ago. It’s getting dark now and all Jimin has done is stayed in the room with the dragons. He wants to spend as much time with them before they grow older. He wants to make sure they’re safe and don’t get into any trouble. He doesn’t mind staying in his room all day with them. They mostly slept all day just like normal human infants. Venapri seemed the closest to Jimin and stayed very close the entire day. Sabireon played with Gladirys when they were awake. However, Sabireon was more meek than Gladirys, who explored every inch of their room the first day. It was interesting and endearing watching them and their vastly different personalities. Right now they were all huddled up next to his legs together. They seemed to emanate a soft warmth permanently. It must be a trait for dragons. Jimin has thought about why he received them as eggs in the first place. He was a tamer and he contributes their presence mostly to that fact. Was it pure luck or was the reward for the first boss always programmed to be dragon eggs. He can’t imagine them being in the wrong hands of anyone else. He’s glad they were safe with him. Jimin has his dragon egg choker and revels at the thought of it being fate that brought them to him. He wants to upgrade his outfit to incorporate dragon tamer aspects to his wardrobe. He’ll probably try to do that tomorrow if he can. Just as he’s in the middle of brainstorming his outfit details the door opens. Jungkook has a plate of food in his hand and a glass of water in the other. “Hey, I thought you may be hungry,” he asks crossing the room to Jimin’s bedside. “Thank you. I was actually going to get something so I appreciate it,” Jimin says in a whisper not wanting to wake the dragons. Jungkook sees them asleep and smiles softly at the scene of them huddled asleep together. Jimin has noticed that Jungkook brings him out of character more than he likes to. Jimin is usually very quiet and not used to making any level of conversation. However, Jungkook makes him safe enough to be a little more expressive and bold. Therefore, he knows only Jungkook would get him to ask what he’s about to ask. “Hey Jungkook... would you like to come with to find new clothes tomorrow in town?” Jungkook looks at Jimin with a look of intent. Jimin feels warm at the attention Jungkook is giving him. “Oh yeah sure that would cool,” Jungkook says. “I was thinking to go around noon? Is that ok with you?” Jimin asks. Jungkook nods. That was more nerve racking than Jimin thought. “Alright. Noon it is.” 

The next morning Jimin wakes up earlier than Jungkook and the dragons. He wants to wake them up and feed them before leaving for the day. After they eat he would put them to sleep with Jin and Suga watching them in case they woke up. He asked them last night about watching them while they were away and they agreed without hesitation. It felt wrong to leave them while they were so young but the boys convinced him it would be fine. They also added some mama bear references and Jimin couldn’t deny them. He was grateful he had such supportive people in his life. He didn’t know what he did to be so lucky. Jimin leaves looking at his standard dark blue diamond cut out top. Jungkook looks at him from the front door. Jimin is ready to start their day. 

They make it to the market fairly quickly. The sky is a bright blue with fluffy white clouds littered across it. There is a light constant breeze that ruffles their hair. It’s a beautiful day. Jimin wanted to find an outfit that reflected how he felt. The birth of the dragons is an important milestone he would like reflected in his wardrobe. He also wanted to change his green hair color. To what exactly? He had no idea as of yet. He decided to take the day as it came and not have any expectations. Jungkook offers to pay for their quick breakfast stop, but Jimin pays for his own food. Jungkook laughs at Jimin’s resilience to his offer, but would never force anything on Jimin. So, they continue to their first stop. 

“Did you want to try anything Jungkook?” Jimin asks as he browses through clothing racks. “Uh I wasn’t really planning on trying anything but if you think it’s a good idea, I can,” Jungkook replies rubbing his hand through this hair. Jimin let’s out a small laugh while covering his smile with his hand. “Jungkook. It’s not about what I want. Would you like to try anything for your own delight?” Jimin replies sweetly. Jimin has recognized that Jungkook is always thinking of others. Being a leader fits him in that regard. However, it tends to interfere with his personal choices. “Sure. But only if you help me?” Jungkook asks with a smirk. Jimin pauses at the request. Jungkook wants his help? Jimin didn’t think he was that great at picking wardrobes, but if that’s what Jungkook wanted he didn’t mind. “Oh, sure I can help you. Don’t hesitate to say if you don’t like something, ok? I mean it,” Jimin says in a reassuring, yet stern tone. Jungkook laughs. “Ok. Ok. I get it. I promise!” Jimin rolls his eyes playfully at his dramatic display. “Ok. Well, let’s get started. Do you want to stick to mainly black? Are you open to pops of color?” Jimin asks. “Yes and yes.” With that little information Jimin enters his serious, focused mode. He didn’t want to mess this up. 

Jimin scours the shop looking through countless racks. In the game shopping is much more daunting than in real life. If something you like isn’t on the rack you can grab a digital tablet that swaps the entire thing out with new clothes. It’s sort of like shopping online but with never ending options. After about an hour of looking Jimin finds an outfit that Jungkook might like and backups just in case. Jungkook has been browsing the shop as well, but Jimin has no idea what he’s been up to. “Jungkook? I think I’m ready to show you what I found,” he says as he approaches him. “Ok lets have a mini fashion show, shall we?” Jungkook says as he pulls Jimin towards the fitting room. Jimin hands him the outfit with the accessories that go with it. Jungkook goes into change and Jimin waits for his return. 

A few moments later he hears a “are you ready” from inside the fitting room. “Yes!” He calls back. Jungkook comes out slowly behind the curtain and Jimin is pleasantly surprised. He actually didn’t hate what he was seeing. He was so nervous when Jungkook was in there. “I know you chose it, but what do you think?” Jungkook says as he twirls around slowly with his arms stretched out to his sides. “I’m glad I was able to pull something together, but it doesn’t matter if I like it, how do you feel about it?” Jimin replies. Jimin gives Jungkook a once over and tries to refrain his redness from taking over. He chose a black V-neck shirt that had a diagonal dark blue line from one shoulder down to the bottom. The asymmetric top was a simple item paired with black pants that had many small silver chains around the belt line. Some hung but most wrapped around the waist loosely. Jimin also added small black diamond studs for his earrings. He also had a thin bracelet that was black with a soft orange iridescent sheen. Jimin hoped it wasn’t too flashy for someone with such a simple style. Jungkook looks in the mirror and finally responds. “I really like it, Jimin. I’m still wearing my comfort color, but with nice details that I wouldn’t have thought to pair together. I have my battle ready outfit but I’ll definitely wear this as much as I can. Thank you!” Jimin feels relief at the response. He hates how sensitive he can be but seeing Jungkook so happy makes his eyes well up ever so slightly. “Well I hope you don’t mind but as you were looking for new clothes for me I had the shop owner make something custom for you. It’s completely fine if you don’t like it by the way. Just uh... what do think?” Jungkook pulls out a golden necklace with three jewels attached to it by small loops. Each jewel glimmers in the sunlight pouring in from outside. One is pink, another is blue, and the last one is green. Jimin reaches out slowly to softly caress the glistening stones. “Jungkook- I-“ Jimin is at a loss for words. Not only because of their beauty but because Jungkook even took the time to make such a personal gift for him. “Jungkook it’s beautiful,” he whispers. “You really like it?” Jungkook asks in a low tone. Jimin looks into his eyes and nods with a soft smile. Jungkook’s eyes glisten with powerful emotions behind them. Before Jimin can process his emotions the store clerk emerges next to them. “If you two are done with your little moment then I’ll be expecting the payment for that necklace before you leave.” The man replies grumbling as he walks away. “I wonder what he’s so upset about,” Jungkook laughs. “Well don’t worry about the cost I’m buying it for you. Don’t look at me like that! Just, uh, consider it a gift for grouping with me,” Jungkook says. Jimin knows he won’t bother trying to talk him out of it so he shakes his head and sighs before smiling. “Ok, fine, but please no more unnecessary spending unless it’s for you.” Jungkook gives him a thumbs up and returns the necklace to its box. “I promise. Now go shop for yourself. I didn’t mean for you to waste so much time on me.” Jimin nods and heads back to the shopping aisles with a smile that’s hard to force away. 

The sun is shining a brilliant orange with pink accents in the clouds. It’s starting to get late. Jimin decides to make this his final outfit choice. His outfit reflects the growth that he has experienced in this world. His once black leather choker is now gold with three metal dragon eggs engraved in the middle next to each other. It connects to thin gold metal that spreads across his small shoulders. It mimics the look of moving water. Jimin’s top is a sky blue color that leaves a small diamond shape cutout in the center of his collarbones. The top’s cloth is cotton and stops at his waist. His bottoms are a rich tan that stop at his knees. They have gold lace on each side that stretch from waistline to the bottom. At the ends they tie into small bows. To finish it off he wears tan boots with a golden sheen that come to his ankle. He takes one last look in the dressing room mirror and decides to walk out. He sees Jungkook with his eyes closed leaned back against the seat in the waiting area. He walks up slowly to tap him on the shoulder. He opens his eyes slowly but sits up immediately when he sees Jimin. He stares at Jimin’s regal outfit and is left speeches. “Sorry I took so long... are you ready to go?” Jimin asks while holding his hands together. “Oh yeah sure that sounds great!” Jungkook says in a high pitched tone. Jimin looks at him a little confused but doesn’t question him. They checkout and walk out of the establishment. “Oh, hey! Your necklace! Would you like me to put it on you?” Jungkook asks. Jimin still felt bad for Jungkook wasting money on him, but agreed to let him put it on him. Jimin turns around and holds up the longer pieces of his hair in the back. Jungkook stands close behind and places the beautiful piece around his neck. He clamps it and Jimin turns around. “Thank you, Jungkook. It really is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.” Jungkook waves his hands around and says not to worry about it. Jimin holds the necklace close to his chest as they walk home. 

On the way home they made it in time to change Jimin’s hair color. He debated for a long time as he usually does, but decides on his original white-silver. It was his original avatar’s signature color, and decided that’s what made him feel the most comfortable. This would be the last dramatic change for a while he thought. After the quick stop they head home after the tireless day on the town. 

When they arrive home they are surprised by the lovely aroma of grilled meat. Jin and Suga are in the kitchen finishing up dinner. Jimin instantly looks around for his dragons and sees them huddled together on the couch wrapped in blankets. They’re asleep. Jimin lets out a sigh. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t thinking about them all day. Jungkook was the only grace that saved him from his anxious thoughts. “Welcome back,” Suga says from the kitchen. Jin looks over at them and has a wide-eyed expression on his face. “Wow! You guys look incredible! I’m jealous... hey babe when are you gonna give me a makeover?“ Jin says as he looks at Suga. Suga rolls his eyes and continues to finish the food. “Mm that smells so good,” Jungkook remarks as he closes his eyes and sniffs the air playfully. Jimin smiles at the interaction. Jimin doesn’t want to wake the dragons so he decides to keep his distance. Jungkook places a hand gently on Jimin’s shoulders and whispers in his ear. “They’re gonna be fine I know you were worried all day today. I could see it in your eyes.” Jimin turns to him and tries to stop the warmth settling on his face. He was flustered. Not only at the action itself but that Jungkook was watching him closely. Jimin moves away from Jungkook in a roundabout manner as to not seem rude. He didn’t dislike the contact but closeness in all forms gives him anxiety. He gives his best attempt to give him a reassuring smile. Jungkook gives a small smile in return and they both silently look over the dragons. They stay in that position for a few minutes before Suga calls them for dinner. 

Dinner was delicious and the chatter has been relatively simple. Until Suga’s expression turns into furrowed brows and a small frown. Jimin immediately takes notice. He scoots closer to Suga and speaks lowly in order to not disturb Jin and Jungkook’s conversation. “Hey? Is everything fine Suga?” Suga looks up at him and speaks. “We have some bad news that we’ve been hearing amongst the players lately,” Suga says and all conversation stops. Suga looks over to Jin. “Oh right. Well we heard some disturbing information from some players that involves that guild Glaebi. The ones who wear the dark purple and black getups,” Jin says and Jimin grows concerned. “They’ve been robbing and terrorizing players outside of the player safe areas. Places like dungeons have reported the guild as a safety hazard to the general player base. No one has been killed as a result of any robbing, but people have reported being physically attacked in some cases. I just wanted you guys to know and to be aware. We should stay together as 3 or more from now on. No solo adventures. I’m looking at you Jungkook,” Jin says with a pointed look. Jimin has never seen Jin’s serious side but he’s definitely not saying this in a playful tone. He’s serious. Jungkook simply nods. “Well, I’m not sure why someone would try to halt progress of our escape from this world, but it’s more than annoying,” Suga says. Jimin agrees. It’s counterproductive and puts the lives of the players in jeopardy. However, he isn’t surprised. If there are immoral people in the real world it was bound to be the same in game. The lust for power and the insatiable hunger of greed is not immune to any human. It’s another aspect of life that Jimin knows all too well and hates all the same. “You ok, Jimin? Do you have anything to add?” Jungkook asks. He snaps out of his thoughts. “Oh, sorry. Uh. I didn’t want to be judgmental at first but I did sense an... odd energy from that guild. We also needed their help for the boss clearing, so I didn’t say anything to you guys. The sneaky tactics the guild leader employed to get the boss reward was also telling. I agree that we should keep an eye out for them,” Jimin states. Everyone nods. Jungkook yawns. “You guys must be sleepy. We’re pretty tired too. We had fun watching your babies for you. It looks like you guys make well behaved children,” Jin says with a wink and Jimin just knows his face is a dead give away of his debilitating embarrassment. He doesn’t dare look at Jungkook. Jin winks at them and grabs Suga’s hand. They both wave goodbye and head to their room. Once they shut the door Jimin speaks. “I know you’re sleepy, so did you want to go to bed? You don’t have to, but I’m going to take the dragons to the room and get ready for bed,” he says quietly. “Sure thing. I’m really sleepy right now. Did you need help carrying them to the bed?” Jungkook stands up after Jimin. “If you wouldn’t mind?” Jungkook nods and smiles. Jimin walks over and grabs Venapri gently. Jungkook grabs the other two and slowly walks towards their room. Jimin opens the door and arranges a blanket fortress for the dragons. He places a gentle kiss on Venapri’s snout and lays them down. Jungkook hands the other two to him one by one and Jimin places similar kisses for each of them before laying them down. Jimin and Jungkook lay down and within minutes Jungkook is snoring. It isn’t too loud, so Jimin doesn’t mind. If Jimin is being honest he doesn’t think he’d ever get annoyed at anything relating to Jungkook. He’s sweet, smart, and willing to do the honorable thing even if he doesn’t know what he’s in for. The last trait is the one Jimin worries about. Being a leader requires you to be in precarious situations. The glory and hate go hand and hand. Jimin feels oddly protective of Jungkook. It’s hard for him to connect to other people, but once Jimin feels enough of a bond it isn’t broken easily. It’s a gift and a curse. He’s willing to do anything possible to keep the ones he loves safe, but it also means every relationship is sacred to him. That can be too intense for most people. He’s afraid his intense love and care would come off as needy and overbearing. But that’s the truth. He is an intense person. For all of his teen years he has tossed aside those who do not accept him. People can be disposed of and replaced with a quickness. He learned this through being the abused and used resource that was eventually discarded. The ones he loved the most betrayed his idea of what family and love was. Who is to blame? His own naive ideals? The love he had for broken people? It was himself. He knew that much. For being idiotically optimistic about what the world was. It isn’t a place that is kind to those with soft hearts. So he learned to be a power player instead. 

“You’re gonna leave? You’re gonna leave me!?” The first strike reverberates through the cramped closet. A shaky, yet firm voice retaliates. “You’re not taking my son from me!” The adolescent boy cowers in fear and moves deeper into the closet. “Get the fuck away from us! Jimin move back!” The man only gets angrier and pushes the woman aside to the floor. The man comes closer to Jimin and speaks in a voice that can only be described as an attempt that only sounds eerily sweet. “Hey. It’s ok come here. Come to dad,” the man says. Jimin cowers back with silent tears trailing down his cheeks. Mother. That’s all he wants. Mother. “Didn’t you hear me!? Come to your dad!” The short attempt of comfort ends abruptly. The man is now yelling at the boy cowering in the back of the closet. The boy closes his eyes and places his head on his knees begging for the fear to end. Then all turns black. 

A gasp erupts from Jimin’s mouth. He opens his eyes, but can’t seem to move. The rising sun peeks through the high rise windows. He stares longingly at the ceiling fan glazed in a warm orange. He touches the corner of his right eye. His vision is blurry from the pool of tears. Fear. A nightmare. The visions play over and over in his mind. He lets out a soft sob. The last thing he wants is for Jungkook to see him in his pitiful state. He forces himself to breath deeply and slowly. He can calm himself down. He’s always been his own solace. He’s always been his own source of strength, and losing that would be the death of him. After a few minutes he looks over to see his children and Jungkook peacefully asleep. He sighs. His world has expanded more than he had ever expected. He wants to be home, of course, but has his two months in the game been a nightmare? He’s sure it hasn’t. If anything it has given him more gifts than what he ever thought was possible. He met Jungkook, Misty, Suga, and Jin. They have become an integral part of his journey. Of his life. For that he is grateful. 

“Can you guys gather at the dinner table for a quick meeting?” Jimin, Suga, and Jin stop their respective activities to join Jungkook at the table. “Hey you good? You sound worried,” Jin asks as they take their seats. “I’m fine. I just have some serious topics I want to talk about. Is that ok?” Everyone nods and a serious mood overtakes the room. “Well, I first want to talk about the idea of starting an official guild that takes in players. How do you guys feel?” Jungkook asks. “I’m ok with that. Of course, we would need a guild head, moderators, and obviously players,” Suga states. “I’m sure we could do all of that, but what made you want to create a guild, Jungkook?” Jin asks. “Well... I’ve been thinking of our situation more seriously. We’ve been trapped here for months and we haven’t made that much progress. I want to get the players who are scared and alone home as fast as possible. If that means putting myself in the front lines then so be it. It’s selfish of me to assume you guys would want the same. So, I wanted to hear what everyone felt about it.” The room is silent. Jimin feels very similarly and Jungkook has already proven himself to be a leader in his own right. Following him feels natural at this point. “I wouldn’t mind Jungkook. I chose to fight for that reason,” Jimin says giving Jungkook a smile. Jungkook smiles in return relief coloring his expression. “You know Suga and I wouldn’t leave you alone for the world. We’ve been friends ever since elementary school. Count us in. Right, Suga?” Suga nods in response. Jungkook looks at the group with a warm expression. “Thank you everyone.” Jungkook says in a hushed tone. “Before you can interject: you’re our leader. We don’t want to hear any excuses. We know you’re more than capable,” Suga states. “But don’t you think-“ Jungkook starts before being cut off by Suga’s stern look. “Ok, ok,” Jungkook says with his hands shaking Im a comical gesture. Jimin covers his laugh with his hands. “So, I think that’s settled then! Jungkook is our new guild leader. We will fight to free everyone from this tortuous hell! Now all we need is a guild name. Any ideas?” Jin boasts. Another thoughtful silence overtakes them. Jimin has an idea, but is too shy to speak. What if they think it’s stupid? No. They would never make fun of him. He feels bad even thinking they would. “Um. I think I have a name,” Jimin says. They all look to him and Jimin’s voice lowers. “How about... Iridescence?” They look at him with a quizzical expression. “Well, if our goal is to achieve the clearing of the game and to be a symbolic beacon of light then I thought it would be fitting. Of course if it isn’t liked by most of us the-then we don’t have to use it,” Jimin states shyly. The boys turn to each other then smile. “I like it, Jimin. It’s very simple, yet elegant,” Jungkook replies. “I’m fine with it. You are too, Jin?” Suga asks. “Sits fine with me!” Jin replies. “From now on we’re Guild Iridescence. Our goal is to liberate the players of this world.” Jungkook says with a surge of confidence. Everyone smiles at each other with a profound meaning etched into all of their expressions.


End file.
